1.
Cruiser
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A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundred years, and has had different meanings throughout this period. In the middle of the 19th century, cruiser came to be a classification for the intended for cruising distant waters, commerce raiding. Cruisers came in a variety of sizes, from the medium-sized protected cruiser to large armored cruisers that were nearly as big as a pre-dreadnought battleship. With the advent of the battleship before World War I. The very large battlecruisers of the World War I era that succeeded armored cruisers were now classified, along with dreadnought battleships, in the later 20th century, the obsolescence of the battleship left the cruiser as the largest and most powerful surface combatant after the aircraft carrier. The role of the cruiser varied according to ship and navy, often including air defense, during the Cold War, the Soviet Navys cruisers had heavy anti-ship missile armament designed to sink NATO carrier task forces via saturation attack. The U. S. Adams guided-missile destroyers tasked with the air defense role. Indeed, the newest U. S. Navy destroyers are more heavily-armed than some of the cruisers that they succeeded, currently only three nations operate cruisers, the United States, Russia, and Peru. The term cruiser or cruizer was first commonly used in the 17th century to refer to an independent warship, Cruiser meant the purpose or mission of a ship, rather than a category of vessel. However, the term was used to mean a smaller, faster warship suitable for such a role. The Dutch navy was noted for its cruisers in the 17th century, while the Royal Navy—and later French and Spanish navies—subsequently caught up in terms of their numbers, during the 18th century the frigate became the preeminent type of cruiser. A frigate was a small, fast, long range, lightly armed ship used for scouting, carrying dispatches, the other principal type of cruiser was the sloop, but many other miscellaneous types of ship were used as well. During the 19th century, navies began to use steam power for their fleets, the 1840s saw the construction of experimental steam-powered frigates and sloops. By the middle of the 1850s, the British and U. S. Navies were both building steam frigates with very long hulls and a gun armament, for instance USS Merrimack or Mersey. The 1860s saw the introduction of the ironclad, the first ironclads were frigates, in the sense of having one gun deck, however, they were also clearly the most powerful ships in the navy, and were principally to serve in the line of battle. In spite of their speed, they would have been wasted in a cruising role. The French constructed a number of smaller ironclads for overseas cruising duties, starting with the Belliqueuse and these station ironclads were the beginning of the development of the armored cruisers, a type of ironclad specifically for the traditional cruiser missions of fast, independent raiding and patrol

2.
United States
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Forty-eight of the fifty states and the federal district are contiguous and located in North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east, the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U. S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean, the geography, climate and wildlife of the country are extremely diverse. At 3.8 million square miles and with over 324 million people, the United States is the worlds third- or fourth-largest country by area, third-largest by land area. It is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, paleo-Indians migrated from Asia to the North American mainland at least 15,000 years ago. European colonization began in the 16th century, the United States emerged from 13 British colonies along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the following the Seven Years War led to the American Revolution. On July 4,1776, during the course of the American Revolutionary War, the war ended in 1783 with recognition of the independence of the United States by Great Britain, representing the first successful war of independence against a European power. The current constitution was adopted in 1788, after the Articles of Confederation, the first ten amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and designed to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties. During the second half of the 19th century, the American Civil War led to the end of slavery in the country. By the end of century, the United States extended into the Pacific Ocean. The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the status as a global military power. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the sole superpower. The U. S. is a member of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States. The United States is a developed country, with the worlds largest economy by nominal GDP. It ranks highly in several measures of performance, including average wage, human development, per capita GDP. While the U. S. economy is considered post-industrial, characterized by the dominance of services and knowledge economy, the United States is a prominent political and cultural force internationally, and a leader in scientific research and technological innovations. In 1507, the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere America after the Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci

3.
Alaska-class cruiser
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The Alaska class was a class of six large cruisers ordered before World War II for the United States Navy. They were officially classed as large cruisers, but others have regarded them as battlecruisers and they were all named after territories or insular areas of the United States, signifying their intermediate status between larger battleships and smaller heavy and light cruisers. Of the six planned, two were completed, the construction was suspended on 16 April 1947, and the last three were canceled. Alaska and Guam served with the U. S. Navy for the last year of World War II as bombardment ships and they were decommissioned in 1947 after spending only 32 and 29 months in service, respectively. The idea for a large cruiser class originated in the early 1930s when the U. S. Navy sought to counter Deutschland-class pocket battleships being launched by Germany, up until the Alaska class, US cruisers designed between the wars followed this pattern. The initial impetus for the Alaska design came from the deployments of Germanys so-called pocket battleships in the early 1930s, while these claims are difficult to verify, they have led to the speculation that their design was politically motivated. One historian described the process of the Alaska class as torturous due to the numerous changes and modifications made to the ships layouts by numerous departments. The General Board, in an attempt to keep the displacement under 25,000 tons, as a result, the Alaska class, when built, were vulnerable to torpedoes and shells that fell short of the ship. The final design was a scaled-up Baltimore class that had the machinery as the Essex-class aircraft carriers. This ship combined a main armament of nine 12-inch guns with protection against 10-inch gunfire into a hull that was capable of 33 knots, the Alaskas were officially funded in September 1940 along with a plethora of other ships as a part of the Two-Ocean Navy Act. Their role had been altered slightly, in addition to their surface-to-surface role, yet another drastic change was considered during the carrier panic in late 1941, when the Navy realized that they needed more aircraft carriers as quickly as possible. Many hulls currently under construction were considered for conversion into carriers, in addition, the large cruiser design did not include the massive underwater protections found in normal carriers due to the armor weight devoted to counter shell fire. Lastly, an Alaska conversion could not satisfy the goal of having new aircraft carriers quickly. With this in mind, all planning to convert the Alaskas was abandoned on 7 January 1942, of the six Alaska-class cruisers that were planned, only three were laid down. The first two, Alaska and Guam, were completed, construction of Hawaii, the third, was suspended on 16 April 1947 when she was 84% complete. As a result, construction of the last three members of the class never began, and they were canceled on 24 June 1943. Alaska and Guam served with the U. S. Navy during the last year of World War II, similar to the Iowa-class fast battleships, their speed made them useful as shore bombardment ships and fast carrier escorts. Both protected Franklin when she was on her way to be repaired in Guam after being hit by two Japanese bombs

4.
Atlanta-class cruiser
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They were also known as the Atlanta-Oakland class. The four Oakland and later ships had different armament as they were further optimized for anti-aircraft fire. The Atlanta class had 12 x 5-inch /38 caliber guns, mounted in three superfiring sets of two-gun turrets fore and three more aft, the Atlanta class saw heavy action during World War II, collectively earning 54 battle stars. Two ships of the class were sunk in action, Atlanta and Juneau, the other six were decommissioned shortly after the war and were scrapped in the 1960s. As built the main gun battery of the first quartet of Atlanta class was composed of eight dual 5-inch/38 caliber gun mounts. This battery could fire over 17,600 pounds of shells per minute, fire control was by two Mk 37 fire control systems located on the centerline atop the superstructure. As built these lacked radar but in 1942 radar FD was fitted, from 1943 this was replaced by the improved Mk 12/Mk 22 combination. The first four had an original secondary armament of twelve 1. 1-inch /75 caliber guns in three quad mountings, initially without directors fitted. By early 1942 as more became available a fourth quad mount had been installed on the quarterdeck and directors were fitted. From 1943 onward the number of these mounts increased by adding two more on the superstructure and a pair each side of the second funnel to counter the danger of Japanese air attacks. From the end of 1943, a quadruple 40 mm Bofors mounting replaced the twin mount on the quarterdeck, photo evidence show that Renos torpedo tubes had been removed by the time she was torpedoed on 3 November 1944. The Atlanta-class cruisers were the class of U. S. Navy cruisers commissioned during World War II to be armed with torpedoes tubes. Although ships of the class were planned as destroyer flotilla leaders, in early 1942 along with anti-aircraft and radar upgrades these ships were fitted with sonar and the standard destroyer battery of 6 depth charge projectors and 2 stern mounted tracks. When the vessels were determined to be valuable as protection against aircraft. The Oakland sub-class never received the projectors, getting only two tracks, probably due to marginal stability. Radar was not fitted as built, from spring of 1942 these ships were re-fitted first with SC-1 and SG search and FD for fire control. As the war progressed additional and more radars were added. The class was powered by four 665 psi boilers, connected to 2 geared steam turbines producing 75,000 horsepower, on trial the Atlanta made 33.67 knots and 78,985 shp

5.
Baltimore-class cruiser
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The Baltimore-class cruiser was a large class of heavy cruisers in the United States Navy commissioned during or shortly after World War II. Fourteen Baltimores were completed, more than any class of heavy cruiser. Fast and heavily armed, the Baltimore cruisers were used in World War II to protect the fast aircraft carriers in battle groups from air attack. Additionally, their 8-inch main guns and secondary 5-inch guns were used to bombard land targets in support of amphibious landings. After the war, only six Baltimores and two Oregon City-class ships remained in service, while the rest were moved to the reserve fleet, however, all ships except Boston, Canberra, Chicago and Fall River were reactivated for the Korean War. Except for St Paul, all the ships retaining all-gun configurations had very short lives, and by 1971 were decommissioned. However, four Baltimore-class cruisers were refitted and converted some of the first guided missile cruisers in the world. The last of these was decommissioned in 1980, with the Chicago lasting until 1991 in reserve, no example of the Baltimore class still exists. With the start of the war, the limitations instituted by the Second London Naval Treaty, the Baltimore class was based partly on USS Wichita, a heavy cruiser from 1937, which represented the transition from inter-war to World War II designs. It was also based partly on the Cleveland class, a cruiser that was then being built. The construction of the first four ships of the Baltimore class began on July 1,1940, a second order, which consisted of 16 more ships, was approved on August 7,1942. With the construction of the first eight Baltimore-class ships moving slowly, the new, modified design was itself delayed, so that construction had begun on a further six ships—for a total of 14—using the original design before the revisions were completed. The final three ships ordered were converted to the design, known as the Oregon City class. Between 1943 and 1947,17 ships of the Baltimore and Oregon City classes entered service, construction of the eighteenth ship was suspended, to eventually be completed as a flagship/command ship in 1950. Five more were laid down, but cancelled and scrapped before launch, the largest contractor for the construction of the Baltimore-class ships was Bethlehem Steel, which produced eight ships at the Fore River Shipyard in Quincy, Massachusetts. New York Shipbuilding in Camden, New Jersey, built four, the ships were named after cities in the United States, the only exception being USS Canberra, which was named in honor of HMAS Canberra, which had been named after Canberra, the Australian capital. The classification CA originally stood for armored cruiser but was used for heavy cruisers. By 1947, nine of the Baltimores had been decommissioned and placed in the reserve fleet, however, at the start of the 1950s, six were reactivated, making thirteen available for deployment in the Korean War

6.
Brooklyn-class cruiser
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The Brooklyn-class cruisers were seven light cruisers of the United States Navy that served during World War II. Armed with 5 triple turrets mounting 6-inch guns, they and their two sisters of the St. Louis-class mounted more heavy-caliber guns than any other US cruisers. The Brooklyns were all commissioned during 1937 and 1938 in the time between the start of the war in Asia and before the outbreak of war in Europe and they served extensively in both the Pacific and Atlantic theaters during World War II. Though some were damaged, all survived the war. All were decommissioned shortly after the end of the war, and five were transferred in 1951 to South American navies, one of these, the General Belgrano, formerly the USS Phoenix, was sunk during the Falklands War in 1982. The Brooklyn-class ships were an influence on US cruiser design. Nearly all subsequent US cruisers, heavy and light, were directly or indirectly based on them, notable among these are the Cleveland-class light cruiser and Baltimore-class heavy cruiser of World War II. The Brooklyns arose from the London Naval Treaty of 1930, which limited the construction of heavy cruisers, great Britain needed trade control cruisers and hoped that the treaty would limit nations to smaller cruisers to a 6,000 to 8,000 ton range that she could afford. The United States needed large cruisers to deal with the ranges that operations in the Pacific Ocean required. Cruisers with 6 guns and 10,000 tons were therefore desired, the US Navys experience with the Omaha Class Cruiser was not all that could be hoped for. The light hull design caused a stressed hull and was very overweight, design started in 1930, with the first four of the class ordered in 1933 and an additional three ships in 1934. Various combinations of armor and power plants were tried in the efforts to stay below the Treaty 10,000 ton limit, from 1942, the bridge structure was lowered and radar was fitted. The Brooklyn Class was equipped with 15 6/47 Mark 16 naval guns developed from the 6/53 Mark 8 used on the Omaha Class cruiser, the decision was reached as the gun could achieve up to a ten rounds per minute rate of fire. This gave the class the ability to send up to one hundred and this allowed the cruiser to smother an enemy ship with fire. The turret arrangement was five turrets each mounting three guns on a single sleeve, the six-inch guns were of a new design, the Mk 16, which could fire a 130-pound shell up to 26,100 yards. The 130-pound shell had twice the power of the old gun. The ammunition was of the semi-fixed type, as designed, the anti-aircraft weaponry specified eight 5/25 caliber gun and eight M2 Browning.50 caliber machine guns. The intention to mount 1.1 inch anti-aircraft guns was frustrated, the weapon as deployed was less than satisfactory frequent jamming and weight were serious issues

7.
Cleveland-class cruiser
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The Cleveland class was a group of light cruisers built for the U. S. Navy during World War II, and were the most numerous class of light cruisers ever built. The Clevland-class was a development of the preceding Brooklyn-class, the ships were designed with the goal of increased cruising range, anti-aircraft armament, torpedo protection, etc. compared with earlier U. S. cruisers. To achieve this, the fifth 6 inch gun turret was omitted and this also gave room for the enlargement of the bridge spaces to accommodate the new combat information center and the necessary radars. However, the increase of light anti-aircraft artillery made the class top-heavy towards the end of World War II, to compensate for the weight increase, some ships had one catapult removed, also the range finders were removed from turret A. These two were called the Fargo class, of the 27 Cleveland-class cruisers that were commissioned, one was completed as a guided missile cruiser and five were later modified as Galveston and Providence-class guided missile cruisers. Two of each of the guided missile cruiser-classes had enlarged superstructures to serve as flagships, following the naming convention at the time, all the ships completed as cruisers were named for US cities and towns. The Cleveland-class cruisers served mainly in the Pacific Fleet during World War II, especially in the Fast Carrier Task Force, all of these warships, though worked heavily and damaged in some cases, survived the war. The Clevelands suffered from increasing stability problems as anti-aircraft armament and additional radar was added during the war, none were recommissioned for the Korean War, as they required a crew almost as large as the Baltimore-class ships, and those ships were reactivated instead. All non-converted ships were sold off from the fleet for scrapping beginning in 1959. The six that were completed as or converted into guided missile cruisers were reactivated during the 1950s, all, particularly the Talos-armed ships, suffered from greater stability problems than the original design due to the extra radar equipment and top weight. This problem was severe in Galveston, leading to its premature decommissioning in 1970. Oklahoma City and Little Rock had to have an amount of ballast. The last of these ships in service, Oklahoma City, was decommissioned in December 1979

8.
Fargo-class cruiser
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The same type of modification differentiated the Baltimore and Oregon City classes of heavy cruisers. Changes were made to order to reduce the instability of the Cleveland-class light cruisers, the main battery turrets sat about a foot lower and the wing gunhouses were lowered to the main deck. The medium anti-aircraft mounts were also lowered, in all,13 ships of the class were planned but only Fargo and Huntington were ever completed, the rest being cancelled at varying states of completion with the de-escalation of World War II. Fargo, the ship of the class, was launched on 25 February 1945. Huntington was commissioned early in 1946, the two ships were decommissioned in 1949-1950, and never reactivated. Cruisers of the US Navy 1922-1962, Global Security. org - Fargo-class cruiser Global Security. org - Fargo-class cruiser specifications Hazegray - US Cruisers List, US Light/Heavy/AntiAircraft Cruisers, Part 2 Fargo Class Light Cruisers

9.
Juneau-class cruiser
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The Juneau-class cruisers were United States Navy light cruisers which were modified version of the Atlanta-class cruiser design. Three ships were ordered and built, all completed shortly after World War II, watertight integrity was improved by removing doors on the lowest decks of the ship between bulkheads. In addition, all the armament was removed, along with the torpedo battery. The main gun battery of the Juneau-class was composed of six dual 5 inch/38 caliber gun mounts, the class was designed with a secondary anti-aircraft armament of thirty-two Bofors 40 mm anti-aircraft guns, and sixteen 20 mm rapid-fire anti-aircraft cannons with high-explosive shells. After the war, the ships were planned to convert to a 3 inch/50 caliber secondary armament to replace the 40mm guns, on trial the Juneau made 32.48 knots at 78,985 SHP. The ships of the Juneau-class had the armor as the Atlanta-class, a maximum of 3.5 in on their sides, with the captains bridge. The ships were designed for 47 officers and 695 men. Spokane was launched on 22 September 1945, and commissioned on 17 May 1946, fresno was launched on 5 March 1946 and commissioned on 27 November 1946. She was decommissioned in 1955, shortly after the war ended, all three ships were considered for refitting as guided missile cruisers or ASW ships but ultimately were sold for scrap in the 1960s. The entry can be found here

10.
New Orleans-class cruiser
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The New Orleans-class cruisers were a class of seven heavy cruisers built for the United States Navy in the 1930s. Originally called the Astoria-class cruiser, the class was renamed after Astoria was sunk and these ships participated in the heaviest surface battles of the Pacific War. Astoria, Quincy, and Vincennes were all sunk in the Battle of Savo Island, only Tuscaloosa, which spent most of the war in the Atlantic, got through the war without being damaged. Collectively, ships of the class earned 64 battle stars, the four surviving ships were laid up immediately after the end of the war, and sold for scrap in 1959. The New Orleans-class design was a test bed for innovations in cruiser design, design #1, New Orleans, Astoria, and Minneapolis. Design #2, Tuscaloosa and San Francisco and this class was the direct ancestor for all subsequent USN gun cruisers. From them came the Brooklyn, Wichita, Cleveland, and the Baltimore-class cruisers, the USN came to the conclusion that no 10, 000-ton cruiser could adequately perform the roles given. Three ships of the class were lost in the Battle of Savo Island in 1942, in doing so, the ships took on a new appearance, most notably in the bridge area and became known as the New Orleans class. The four survivors were decommissioned shortly after the war ended, the New Orleans class was the last series of US cruisers, completed to the limitations of the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922. As completed, the single ship Wichita class exceeded the 10, design of these ships began in early 1929, based on the three preceding classes, The Pensacola, the Northampton and the Portland classes. All of the cruisers of the New Orleans class were outwardly similar, the Bureau of Construction and Repair authorized a contemporary 8-inch gun cruiser design of smaller size, but one which allocated considerably more tonnage towards protection. The New Orleans class was noteworthy for its protection, the hull was 12 feet shorter than a Northampton, with a shorter armor belt that protected only the machinery and other internal spaces, allowing its thickness to be increased to 5 inches. The machinery bulkheads were given 3.5 inches and the armor was strengthened to 2.5 inches. For the first time in US cruisers, barbette and turret armor was sufficient to withstand 8-inch shellfire, the turrets were faced with 8 inches of armor,2.75 inches on the sides and 1 inch on the roof. The barbettes were protected with 5 inches of armor on all ships except San Francisco, magazine protection was increased to 4 inches. Magazine protection was increased by placing them well below the waterline. Otherwise only an internal splinter belt and the armor deck protected the magazines, while this allowed an exceptional degree of armored protection for the vitals against shellfire, there was little protected hull volume, and the deep magazines were more exposed to underwater damage. Protection represented approximately 15% of normal displacement as opposed to the only 5. 6% in the Pensacolas and 6% in the Northampton, unfortunately, fuel bunkerage had to be reduced, which resulted in a smaller operational range

11.
Northampton-class cruiser
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The Northampton-class cruisers were a group of six heavy cruisers built for the United States Navy, and commissioned between 1928 and 1931. The Northamptons saw much action in World War II, three were lost during the war. The other three were decommissioned soon after the end of the war, and scrapped in 1959–1961. The design of the ships was heavily influenced by the Washington Naval Treaty, which limited cruisers to a maximum of 10,000 tons displacement, the Northamptons were a reaction to the weight and cost of the immediately preceding Pensacola class, differing in several ways. The Pensacolas mounted a battery of 10 8-inch guns in four turrets. In contrast, the Northamptons mounted 9 8-inch guns in three turrets, two forward and one aft, the layout followed in all subsequent U. S. heavy cruisers. Although armor was increased, the Northamptons turned out to be lighter than the Pensacolas, freeboard was increased in the Northamptons by adopting a high forecastle, which was extended aft in the last three for use as flagships. These ships were also the first U. S. ships to adopt a hangar for aircraft and their lighter than expected weight caused them to roll excessively, which necessitated the fitting of deep bilge keels. The immediately following Portland class was essentially a modified Northampton and this article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Global Security. org – Northampton class cruiser Global Security. org – Northampton class cruiser specifications

12.
Omaha-class cruiser
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The Omaha-class cruisers were a class of light cruisers built for the United States Navy. The oldest class of cruiser still in service with the Navy at the outbreak of World War II, the Omaha class was an immediate post-World War I design. Built to scout for a fleet of battleships, the Omaha class featured high speed for cooperation with destroyers, displacing 7,050 long tons, they were just over 555 feet long. The Omaha class was designed specifically in response to the British Centaur subclass of the C-class cruiser, the Omaha class mounted four smokestacks, a look remarkably similar to the Clemson-class destroyers. Their armament showed the change from casemate-mounted weapons to turret-mounted guns. They held a full twelve 6-inch/53 caliber guns, of four were mounted in two twin turrets, one fore and one aft, and the remaining eight in casemates. Launched in 1920, Omaha had a displacement of 7,050 long tons, the cruisers emerged with a distinctly old-fashioned appearance owing to their World War I-type stacked twin casemate-mount cannons and were among the last broadside cruisers designed anywhere. As a result of the changes placed on the ship mid-construction. The ships were insufficiently insulated, too hot in the tropics, sacrifices in weight savings in the name of increased speed led to severe compromise in the habitability of the ship. While described as a ship in a seaway, the low freeboard led to frequent water ingestion over the bow and in the torpedo compartments. The lightly built hulls leaked, so that sustained high-speed steaming contaminated the oil tanks with sea water and these drawbacks notwithstanding, the US Navy took some pride in the Omaha class. Magazines were the first to be placed on centerline, below the waterline, a serious flaw in these ships subdivision was the complete lack of watertight bulkheads anywhere above the main deck or aft on the main deck. Originally designed to serve as a scout, they served throughout the period as leaders of fleet flotillas. Tactical scouting became the province of cruiser aircraft, and the distant scouting role was taken over by the new heavy cruisers spawned by the Washington Naval Treaty, thus, the Omaha class never performed their designed function. They were relegated to the role, where their high speed. These were the oldest class of cruisers still in service with the Navy in 1941, all were modified during the war with additional 20mm and 40mm anti aircraft guns and radar. Both Detroit and Raleigh were at Pearl Harbor during the attack, Detroit, along with St. Louis and Phoenix were the only large ships to get out of the harbor during the attack. The ships of the Omaha class spent most of the war deployed to secondary theaters, the Omaha class were sent in places where their significant armament might be useful if called upon, but where their age and limited abilities were less likely to be tested

13.
Pensacola-class cruiser
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In an effort to remain within treaty limits, while still mounting a very heavy main battery of ten 8 guns, the hull was of welded construction, and the armor belt was thin. This was inadequate to protect her vitals from enemy 8 shells and was no thicker than the armor on 6 gun cruisers, all guns in each turret were mounted in a single slide, and were unable to elevate independently of each other. Also, unlike the few other ships with different sized main battery turrets the Pensacolas had the larger turrets superfiring over the smaller turrets. Placing heavier turrets above lighter ones allows for finer lines for a length, however this causes top heaviness. Unfortunately, because of the rather unusual main battery layout and their heavy tripod fore-masts, they were top-heavy and this combined with low freeboard forward made them inferior seaboats compared to later designs. Rework in the shipyards modified the hull and superstructure in the 1930s to eliminate the rolling, the Navy built only two ships in this class before switching to the Northampton-class design. Many of the deficiencies of the Pensacola-class were corrected by reducing the main battery to three triple turrets and adding another upper deck forward of amidships, the Pensacola appears in the naval combat game World of Warships as the Tier 7 U. S. cruiser. Because of its armor, it is derisively referred to by many players as the Pepsicola

14.
Portland-class cruiser
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The Portland class of heavy cruisers was a class of ships designed and constructed by the United States Navy in 1930. The two ships of the class, Portland and Indianapolis, saw service during the Pacific War in World War II. Designed as a modification over the previous Northampton-class cruiser, the Portland class displaced just under 10,000 long tons and featured heavier armor and armament than previous cruisers. Featuring 8/55 caliber guns and designed to function as fleet flagships and these designs were carried over to the following New Orleans class, of which several Portland cruisers were converted to mid-construction. She later fought in the Battle of Leyte Gulf and the Battle of Okinawa, Indianapolis served as a fleet flagship for much of the war and fought in the Battle of Philippine Sea and the Battle of Iwo Jima. On 30 July 1945, after transporting components for the nuclear weapons Little Boy and Fat Man from the United States, due to a series of errors and miscommunications her loss was not discovered for several days, and only 316 of her 1,116 crew survived. The Portland class was the class of heavy cruiser to be constructed by the United States Navy following the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922. The first treaty cruisers were the two of the Pensacola class ordered in 1926, which emphasized armament and speed at the expense of protection. S, the Portland class was a modification of both the Pensacola and Northampton designs. They were designed for a displacement of 10,258 tonnes. However, neither completed ship reached this weight, displacing 9,800 tonnes and 9,950 tonnes, the ships featured two distinctive raked funnels, a tripod foremast, and a small tower and pole mast aft. In 1943, light tripods were added forward of the funnel on each ship. The ships were equipped with four propeller shafts and four Parsons GT geared turbines and eight Yarrow boilers. The power plant of the ships generated 107,000 shaft horsepower, both completed ships rolled badly until fitted with bilge keels. The cruisers were armed with a battery of nine Mark 9 8/55 caliber guns arrayed in three triple mounts, a superfiring pair fore and one aft. For anti-aircraft defense, they were armed with eight 5/25 caliber guns as well as two QF3 pounder Hotchkiss guns, in 1945, the anti-aircraft defenses of both ships were upgraded, with each receiving twenty four Bofors 40 mm guns. On Portland these were arranged in four quad mounts and four twin mounts, both ships were also upgraded with twelve Oerlikon 20 mm cannons. No torpedo tubes were fitted on either ship of the class, the ships were outfitted with Mk.8 rangekeepers and Mk.27 directors which also housed auxiliary Mk. The Portland class was designed with 1 inch of deck protection and 1 inch of side protection

15.
St. Louis-class cruiser (1938)
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The St. Louis class light cruisers were a pair of warships that served in the US Navy during World War II. They were the first US cruisers to be armed with twin five-inch 38-caliber guns and they could be distinguished visually from the Brooklyns by the placement of the after deckhouse, immediately abaft the second funnel, and by the twin 5 mounts. Both ships were commissioned in 1939, and were active in the Pacific in World War II, helena was sunk in 1943 during the Battle of Kula Gulf. St. Louis was seriously damaged twice, but survived the war and was transferred to the Brazilian navy in 1951, Global Security. org - St. Louis class cruiser Global Security. org - St. Louis class cruiser specifications

16.
USS Alaska (CB-1)
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USS Alaska was the lead ship of the Alaska class of large cruisers which served with the United States Navy during the end of World War II. She was the first of two ships of her class to be completed, followed only by Guam, four ships were ordered but were not completed before the end of the war. Alaska was the vessel of the US Navy to be named after what was then the territory of Alaska. She was armed with a battery of nine 12 in guns in three triple turrets and had a top speed of 33 kn. Due to being commissioned late in the war, Alaska saw relatively limited service and she shot down several Japanese aircraft off Okinawa, including a possible Ohka piloted missile. In July–August 1945 she participated in sweeps for Japanese shipping in the East China, after the end of the war, she assisted in the occupation of Korea and transported a contingent of US Army troops back to the United States. She was decommissioned in February 1947 and placed in reserve, where she remained until she was stricken in 1960, Alaska was 808 feet 6 inches long overall and had a beam of 91 ft 1 in and a draft of 31 ft 10 in. She displaced 29,779 long tons as designed and up to 34,253 long tons at combat load. The ship was powered by four-shaft General Electric geared steam turbines and eight oil-fired Babcock & Wilcox boilers rated at 150,000 shaft horsepower, the ship had a cruising range of 12,000 nautical miles at a speed of 15 kn. She carried four OS2U Kingfisher or SC Seahawk seaplanes, with a pair of steam catapults mounted amidships. The ship was armed with a battery of nine 12 inch L/50 Mark 8 guns in three triple gun turrets, two in a superfiring pair forward and one aft of the superstructure. The secondary battery consisted of twelve 5-inch L/38 dual-purpose guns in six twin turrets, Two were placed on the centerline superfiring over the main battery turrets, fore and aft, and the remaining four turrets were placed on the corners of the superstructure. The light anti-aircraft battery consisted of 56 quad-mounted 40 mm Bofors guns and 34 single-mounted 20 mm Oerlikon guns. A pair of Mk 34 gun directors aided gun laying for the main battery, the main armored belt was 9 in thick, while the gun turrets had 12.8 in thick faces. The main armored deck was 4 in thick, Alaska was authorized under the Fleet Expansion Act on 19 July 1940, and ordered on 9 September. On 17 December 1941 she was laid down at New York Shipbuilding in Camden and she was launched on 15 August 1943, sponsored by the wife of the governor of Alaska, after which fitting-out work was effected. The ship was completed by June 1944, and was commissioned into the US Navy on 17 June, after her commissioning, Alaska steamed down to Hampton Roads, escorted by the destroyers Simpson and Broome. The ship was deployed for a shakedown cruise, first in the Chesapeake Bay and then into the Caribbean

17.
USS Amsterdam (CL-59)
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USS Independence was a United States Navy light aircraft carrier, lead ship of her class and served during the Second World War. Converted from the hull of a cruiser, she was built by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation and she took part in the attacks on Rabaul and Tarawa before being torpedoed by Japanese aircraft, necessitating repairs in San Francisco from January to July 1944. After repairs, she launched many strikes against targets in Luzon, Independence was part of the carrier group that sank the remnants of the Japanese Mobile Fleet in the Battle of Leyte Gulf and several other Japanese ships in the Surigao Strait. Until the surrender of Japan, she was assigned to strike duties against targets in the Philippines and she finished her operational duty off the coast of Japan supporting occupation forces until being assigned to return American veterans back to the United States as part of Operation Magic Carpet. Independence was later used as a target during the Operation Crossroads atomic bomb tests, after being transported back to Pearl Harbor and San Francisco for study, she was later sunk near the Farallon Islands. The first of a new class of carriers converted from cruiser hulls and she then steamed through the Panama Canal to join the Pacific Fleet, arriving San Francisco 3 July 1943. Independence got underway for Pearl Harbor 14 July, and after 2 weeks of training exercises sailed with carriers Essex, aircraft from the carrier force struck on 1 September and destroyed over 70 percent of the installations on the island. The carrier began her operation, a similar strike against Wake Island 5 to 6 October as CVL-22. Independence sailed from Pearl Harbor for Espiritu Santo on 21 October, during an ensuing carrier attack on Rabaul on 11 November, the ships gunners scored their first success – six Japanese aircraft shot down. After this operation, the carrier refueled at Espiritu Santo, headed for the Gilbert Islands, during a Japanese counterattack on 20 November, Independence was attacked by a group of aircraft low on the water. Six were shot down, but the aircraft launched at least five torpedoes, seriously damaged, the ship steamed to Funafuti on 23 November for emergency repairs. Independence returned to San Francisco 2 January 1944 for more permanent repairs, the now-veteran carrier returned to Pearl Harbor 3 July 1944. During her repair period, the ship had been fitted with an additional catapult and she continued this pioneering work 24 to 29 August out of Eniwetok. The ship sailed with a task group 29 August to take part in the Palau operation. Independence provided night reconnaissance and night air patrol for Task Force 38 during this operation. In September the fast carrier task force regularly pounded the Philippines in preparation for the invasion, when no Japanese counterattacks developed in this period, Independence shifted to regular daytime operations, striking targets on Luzon. After replenishment at Ulithi in early October, the force sortied 6 October for Okinawa. In the days followed the carriers struck Okinawa, Formosa

18.
USS Amsterdam (CL-101)
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USS Amsterdam was a United States Navy Cleveland-class light cruiser, the last of the class to see action in World War II. After final fitting out at Norfolk, Virginia, the cruiser got underway on 5 February for shakedown training in the Chesapeake Bay, on 17 February, she stood out from Hampton Roads and headed south for Trinidad and the second phase of her shakedown cruise. Amsterdam operated from Trinidad through 13 March, when she set a course for Norfolk, during the return voyage, she held shore bombardment practice off the island of Culebra and then arrived back at Norfolk on the 20th. Following a short cruise to Cape May, New Jersey, for gunnery exercises, Amsterdam left the yard on 20 April for training exercises in Chesapeake Bay and, four days later, sailed for the Caribbean. She held training exercises off Culebra and at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, the warship reached Pearl Harbor on 18 May, and during her stay in Hawaiian waters, carried out numerous gunnery and tactical exercises. On 9 June, the set a course for Leyte. Upon her arrival in San Pedro Bay on the 21st, she reported to the 3rd Fleet for duty, after a period of provisioning and refueling, the ship sortied, with Task Force 38, on 1 July to cover air strikes against the Japanese home islands. On 10 July, the planes began a series of raids on Japanese airfields, factories. During these actions, Amsterdam protected the carriers from attack by air or surface forces. Among the cities the task force attacked were Tokyo, Kure, Kobe, on 15 August, TF38 was preparing to launch another attack on Tokyo when its ships received word of Japans capitulation. During the next few weeks, Amsterdam remained in waters off the east coast of Honshū guarding against possible Japanese aggression during armistice negotiations and she steamed into Tokyo Bay on 5 September and remained there through the 20th and then shaped a course for the United States. On the 29th, she got underway for San Pedro, California, the ship reached San Pedro on 1 November. After a period of leave and upkeep, the left the west coast on 19 November bound for Pearl Harbor. She touched there on the 25th, and took on personnel, the cruiser set sail again on 12 December, arrived back at San Pedro on the 18th, and rode at anchor there into early 1946. On 21 January, she got underway for San Francisco, shortly after her arrival, her crew began work to prepare the ship for inactivation and entry into the Pacific Reserve Fleet. She was decommissioned on 30 June 1947 and was laid up at San Francisco. Amsterdams name was struck from the Navy List on 2 January 1971, and the vessel was sold on 11 February 1972 to National Metal and Steel Corporation, Terminal Island, California, Amsterdam earned one battle star for her World War II service. This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, the entry can be found here

19.
USS Astoria (CA-34)
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Early in 1943, after Astoria had been sunk, the remaining ships of this class were refit and reclassified. In doing so the ships took on a new appearance, most notably in the bridge, Astoria was laid down on 1 September 1930 at the Puget Sound Navy Yard. Such ships, with a limit of 10,000 tons standard displacement, originally classified a light cruiser, because of her thin armor, she was reclassified, after being laid down, a heavy cruiser, because of her 8-inch guns. The term heavy cruiser was not defined until the London Naval Treaty in 1930, launched on 16 December 1933, sponsored by Miss Leila C. McKay, and commissioned on 28 April 1934, Captain Edmund S, during the summer of 1934, Astoria conducted a lengthy shake-down cruise in the course of which she voyaged extensively in the Pacific. In addition to the Hawaiian Islands, the cruiser also visited Samoa, Fiji, Sydney Australia. She returned to San Francisco on 26 September 1934, between the fall of 1934 and February 1937, she operated as a unit of Cruiser Division 7, Scouting Force, based at San Pedro, California. In February 1937, the warship was reassigned to CruDiv 6, Astoria sailed from Annapolis on 18 March 1939, accompanied by Naokichi Kitazawa, Second Secretary of the Japanese Embassy in Washington. She moored at Honolulu on 4 April, the day that Madame Saito. Two days later, the cruiser proceeded westward across the Pacific. Accompanied by the destroyers Hibiki, Sagiri, Akatsuki, Astoria steamed slowly into Yokohama harbor on 17 April, United States ensign at half-staff, the warship fired a 21-gun salute which was returned by the light cruiser Kiso. American sailors carried the ceremonial urn ashore that afternoon, and funeral ceremonies took place the following morning, after the solemn state funeral, the Japanese showered lavish hospitality on the visiting cruiser and her men. Captain Turner, for his part, pleased Ambassador to Japan Joseph C, in grateful appreciation of American sympathy and courtesy a pagoda was later presented by Hirosi Saitos wife and child. That pagoda is located in front of Luce Hall at the United States Naval Academy, Astoria sailed for Shanghai, China on 26 April, and reached her destination on the morning of the 29th. She remained at Shanghai until 1 May, after receiving Admiral Harry E. Yarnell, Commander in Chief, Asiatic Fleet, on board for a courtesy call that morning, Astoria put to sea for Hong Kong in the afternoon. Following the visit to Hong Kong, Astoria stopped briefly in the Philippines before continuing on to Guam, the cruiser combed more than 162,000 sq mi of the Pacific, without success, before she discontinued the search on 29 May. Assigned to the Hawaiian Detachment in October 1939, Astoria changed home ports from San Pedro to Pearl Harbor, on 2 April 1941, Astoria departed Pearl Harbor for the west coast of the United States. She reached Long Beach, California on 8 April and entered the Mare Island Navy Yard on the 13th

20.
USS Astoria (CL-90)
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The third USS Astoria was a Cleveland-class light cruiser of the United States Navy. The ship was laid down on 6 September 1941 at William Cramp & Sons Shipbuilding Company, Philadelphia and it was subsequently renamed to Astoria in honor of the heavy cruiser Astoria which was sunk on 9 August 1942 during the Battle of Savo Island. Astoria was launched on 6 March 1943, sponsored by Mrs. Robert Lucas, Astoria conducted shakedown training in the vicinity of Bermuda between 6 June and 23 July 1944 and returned to Philadelphia on the latter day for post-shakedown overhaul. She departed Philadelphia on 19 September, bound for the Pacific, steaming via the Panama Canal, Astoria arrived in San Diego on 3 October. Later in the month, she moved to the Mare Island Navy Yard and she arrived at Oahu on the 31st and remained at Pearl Harbor until 16 November. On that day, she got underway for Ulithi Atoll in the Western Carolines and she made a stop at Eniwetok in the Marshalls before entering the lagoon at Ulithi on 25 November. There, the warship reported for duty with Task Group 38.2 of the Fast Carrier Task Force, Astoria sortied with TF38 on 11 December 1944 for her first war cruise. Her mission was to serve in the screen of the carriers. The flattops launched air strikes between 14 and 16 December, weather began turning bad on the 17th, and that night and the next day Astoria steamed with TF38 through the infamous typhoon that sank Spence, Hull, and Monaghan. However, the cruiser weathered the storm fairly well, after two days of searches for the survivors of the three lost destroyers, TF38 headed back to Ulithi for a Christmas rest. She departed Ulithi again on the 30th, when TF38 got underway to provide air support for the Luzon landings scheduled for 9 January 1945, the carriers direct support for that operation lasted from 6 to 9 January. On the night of the 9th, Admiral Halsey led TF38 – including Astoria – into the South China Sea to begin raiding Japans inner defenses, for the next two weeks, the carriers pounded military targets in Japanese-held southern China and French Indochina pausing periodically to harass Formosa. The force arrived off Honshū on 16 February and began two days of air raids on the Tokyo area, on the 18th, TF58 headed south, took a passing punch at Chi Chi Jima in the Bonins, and arrived off Iwo Jima by mid-afternoon the next day. While the carrier provided air support for the landings, Astoria moved in close to shore on the 21st to begin a 26-hour period of gunfire support for the troops ashore. She then steamed north to support the carriers in strikes against Tokyo before returning to Ulithi by 3 March. On 14 March, she returned to sea with TF58 to begin support of the campaign to capture Okinawa in the Ryukyu Islands. The cruiser supplied antiaircraft defense for the carriers of her group and claimed to have splashed 11 enemy planes. She concluded her cruise in support of the conquest of Okinawa when she arrived at Leyte in the Philippines on 1 June

21.
USS Atlanta (CL-51)
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USS Atlanta of the United States Navy was the lead ship of the Atlanta-class of 8 light cruisers. She was the third Navy ship named after the city of Atlanta, designed to provide anti-aircraft protection for US naval task groups, Atlanta served in this capacity in the naval battles Midway and the Eastern Solomons. Atlanta was heavily damaged by Japanese and friendly gunfire in a surface action on 13 November 1942 during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. The cruiser was sunk on her captains orders in the afternoon of the same day, Atlanta, in some works, is designated CLAA-51 because of her primary armament as an Anti-Aircraft cruiser. Hence, all of the Atlanta-class ships are designated as CLAA. The Atlanta-class ships were armored, making them poor surface combatants compared to a typical light cruiser. Typical destroyers of the time only carried five or six 5-inch guns, despite being under-armored for light cruisers, they had thicker armor than destroyers, which were notoriously underprotected. Atlanta was fitted with eight twin 5-inch gun turrets, placed in a unique configuration and she had three forward turrets and three aft turrets, mounted inline and increasing in height toward the midships, giving her a symmetrical appearance, with a gap in the middle superstructure. In addition, the aft battery also had one wing-mounted turret on each side, the firing arcs of the forward and aft batteries intersected at a very limited angle, giving her an arc of 60° in which she could fire all of her guns broadside. Because Atlanta was able to bring all her guns to only within that narrow arc. Her firing arcs were ideally suited to bringing her guns to bear on an aircraft, however, adjudged to be ready for distant service on 31 March, the new cruiser departed New York for the Panama Canal Zone on 5 April. She reached Cristobal on the 8th, finding none, she ultimately reached Pearl Harbor on 23 April. On 16 May, she joined Vice Admiral William F. TF16 arrived at Pearl on 26 May, Atlanta again sailed with TF16 on the morning of the 28th. Over the days followed, she screened the carriers as they operated northeast of Midway in anticipation of the enemys arrival. At the report of Japanese ships to the southwest, on the morning of 4 June, squadrons from the American carriers sought out the Japanese, and during that day, planes from Yorktown and Enterprise inflicted mortal damage on four irreplaceable enemy flattops. Japanese planes twice hit TF17, and it took the brunt of the enemy attacks, over the days that followed the Battle of Midway, Atlanta remained in the screen of TF16 until 11 June, when the task force received orders to return to Pearl Harbor. On 15 July 1942, Atlanta, again in TF16, anchoring at Nukuʻalofa, Tonga on 24 July, where she fueled Maury and then took on fuel from Mobilube, the light cruiser pushed on later the same day and overtook TF16. On 29 July, as all preparations proceeded for the invasion of Guadalcanal, screening the carriers as they launched air strikes to support the initial landings on 7–8 August, Atlanta remained there until the withdrawal of the carrier task forces on the 9th

22.
USS Atlanta (CL-104)
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USS Atlanta of the United States Navy was a Cleveland-class light cruiser during World War II. She was the fourth Navy ship named after the city of Atlanta, after commissioning the light cruiser got underway on 5 January 1945 for shakedown training in the Chesapeake Bay and the Caribbean. Upon the completion of those exercises, Atlanta arrived at Norfolk, Virginia on 14 February, after a period in the navy yard there, she sailed on 27 March for the Pacific. She stopped at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and transited the Panama Canal before reaching Pearl Harbor on 18 April, from 19 April to 1 May, the ship conducted training exercises in Hawaiian waters. She then sailed to Ulithi and reported to Task Force 58 on 12 May and her task group broke up on 13 June, and Atlanta entered San Pedro Bay, Leyte, Philippines, on 14 June. Following two weeks of upkeep, she sailed on 1 July with Task Group 38.1, during these operations, the cruiser took part in several shore bombardment missions against Honshū and Hokkaidō. Atlanta was operating off the coast of Honshū when the Japanese surrendered on 15 August 1945, on 16 September, she entered Tokyo Bay and remained there through 29 September. With over 500 passengers on board, the cruiser sailed on 30 September for the United States and she paused en route at Guam before arriving in Seattle, Washington, on 24 October. The vessel then proceeded to the shipyard at Terminal Island, California and she was ready to return to sea on 3 January 1946 and got underway for Sasebo, Japan. In June, she returned via Guam to the United States and arrived at San Pedro, California, two days later, the cruiser entered the San Francisco Naval Shipyard for overhaul. On 8 October, she headed toward San Diego for sea trials, the cruiser remained in southern California waters until 23 February 1947, when she left for maneuvers off Hawaii. On 1 May, she departed Pearl Harbor with TF38 for a visit to Australia, the ships stayed in Sydney through 27 May, then sailed for San Pedro, via the Coral Sea, Guadalcanal, Tulagi, and Guam. She dropped anchor at San Pedro on 28 July, a series of maneuvers off the California coast ensued, Atlanta returned to Pearl Harbor on 28 September. She continued on to Yokosuka, Japan, after two days at anchor there, she sailed to Tsingtao, China. Other ports of call during the deployment were Hong Kong, Singapore, on 27 April 1948, the cruiser got underway and proceeded via Kwajalein and Pearl Harbor to San Diego. Following her arrival back in the United States on 19 May and she paid a visit to Juneau, Alaska, from 29 June to 6 July. She then arrived at Seattle on 12 July to begin a major overhaul, the cruiser returned to San Diego for local maneuvers on 20 November. Atlanta was decommissioned on 1 July 1949 and placed in the Pacific Reserve Fleet and her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 October 1962, and she was earmarked for disposal

23.
USS Augusta (CA-31)
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She was named after Augusta, Georgia, and was sponsored by Miss Evelyn McDaniel of that city. Originally classified as a cruiser, CL-31, because of her thin armor. Effective 1 July 1931, Augusta was redesignated a cruiser, CA-31. During the summer of 1931, she operated with the warships of Scouting Force. In September, Augusta moved south to Chesapeake Bay, where she joined her colleagues in their normal fall gunnery drills until mid-November, Augusta entered the Norfolk Navy Yard at that time. At the beginning of 1932 she and the cruisers of the Scouting Force reassembled in Hampton Roads, whence they departed on 8 January on their way to Guantánamo Bay. She arrived in San Pedro, California, on 7 March, during the maneuvers Augusta and her colleagues in Scouting Force squared off against Battle Force in defense of three simulated atolls located at widely separated points on the West Coast. The exercises afforded the Fleet training in strategic scouting and an opportunity to practice defending and attacking a convoy, the Fleet Problem ended on 18 March, but Augusta and the rest of Scouting Force did not return to the Atlantic at its conclusion as was normal. Consequently, Augusta continued to operate in the eastern Pacific until relieved of duty as Scouting Forces flagship late in October 1933, the cruiser left the Navy Yard, Puget Sound, Washington, and sailed for China on 20 October. Steaming along the Northern Pacific Great Circle route from Seattle to Shanghai, Augusta moored in the Huangpu River, at Shanghai, on the morning of 9 November 1933. Upham, Commander in Chief, Asiatic Fleet, broke his flag on board the newly arrived cruiser and that spring, Augusta returned to China waters, showing the flag, and then steamed to Yokohama, Japan, arriving there on 4 June 1934. Augusta remained in Chinese waters, then departed Shanghai for Guam on 5 October 1934, under command of Captain Chester W. Nimitz, sailing the next day, she proceeded to Australian waters for the first time, reaching Sydney on the 20th. Total complement at this time was 824,64 officers and 760 enlisted and she remained there a week, while Admiral Upham visited the capital of Australia, Canberra, on 25 and 26 October. With CinCAF back on board on the 26th, Augusta cleared Sydney the following day for Melbourne and she remained there, observing the citys centenary ceremonies, until 13 November, when she sailed for Fremantle and Perth. On 20 November she sailed for the Dutch East Indies, Augusta reached Batavia on 25 November and remained there until 3 December, when she sailed for Bali, arriving at the port of Lauban Amok on 5 December. Underway again on the 8th, Augusta touched at Sandakan, Zamboanga, arriving on the 16th, Augusta remained there until the 25th, while CinCAF was embarked in Isabel for a trip to Canton. Augusta got underway again on the 25th for Amoy and stayed there from 26 to 29 March, before she proceeded thence to Shanghai, Augusta remained at Shanghai until 30 April, when she sailed for her second visit to Japan, reaching Yokohama on 3 May 1935. The ship remained there for two weeks, steaming thence to Kobe, and arriving there on 18 May for a weeks sojourn, Augusta sailed for China on 25 May, and reached Nanking, the Chinese capital, on the 29th

24.
USS Baltimore (CA-68)
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Between November 1943 and June 1944 Baltimore was a unit of the fire support and covering forces at the Makin Islands landings, Kwajalein invasion, and the Truk raid and Eniwetok seizure. Returning to the United States in July 1944, she embarked President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his party, after meeting with Admiral Chester Nimitz and General Douglas MacArthur, the President was carried to Alaska where he departed Baltimore 9 August 1944. Returning to the war zone in November 1944, she was assigned to the 3rd Fleet and participated in the attacks on Luzon, Formosa, the China coast, and Okinawa. On 26 January she joined the 5th Fleet for her final operations of the war, Honshū Island attacks, Iwo Jima operation, and the 5th Fleet raids in support of the Okinawa operation. After the cessation of hostilities Baltimore served as a unit of the Magic Carpet fleet, departing the Far East 17 February 1946 she returned to the United States and went out of commission in reserve 8 July 1946 at Bremerton, Washington. Baltimore was recommissioned 28 November 1951 and assigned to the U. S and she was deployed with the 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean during the summers of 1952,1953, and 1954. In June 1953 she represented the United States Navy in the British Fleet Review at Spithead, on 5 January 1955 she was transferred to the Pacific Fleet and was deployed with the 7th Fleet in the Far East between February and August 1955. Baltimore commenced pre-inactivation overhaul upon her return from the Far East and she was struck from the Navy List 15 February 1971, sold 10 April 1972 to Zidell Ship Dismantling Company Portland, Oregon, and subsequently scrapped September 1972. A torpedo boat which sank it is displayed there. Though the actual battle occurred in 1950, Baltimore was held in decommissioned reserve from 1946 to 1951 and she was then once again commissioned, but assigned to the Atlantic Fleet until 1955. This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, the entry can be found here. History. navy. mil, USS Baltimore Photo gallery of USS Baltimore at NavSource Naval History hazegray. org, USS Baltimore

25.
USS Biloxi (CL-80)
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USS Biloxi was a United States Navy Cleveland-class light cruiser, the first ship named after the city of Biloxi, Mississippi. She was commissioned at the Norfolk Navy Yard on 31 August 1943, the light cruiser fitted out at Norfolk until 17 September when she began shakedown training in Chesapeake Bay. This included aircraft launch and recovery drills, structural test gun firing, day spotting practice, the crew also conducted an unplanned but successful man overboard drill when S2c Scott was knocked overboard by a training gun mount. On 29 September, Biloxi and the destroyer Sproston departed for Trinidad, while en route, one of Biloxis four Curtiss SO3C Seamew floatplanes crashed during a landing attempt off the port beam. Both the pilot and passenger, Ensign H, jolly and ACMM J. Phagan, were rescued and the wreck was destroyed by gunfire as a hazard to navigation. After arriving at Trinidad on 3 October, Biloxi conducted two weeks of drills and other exercises. These included radar calibration tests, night and day battle practice, fueling at sea exercises, departing Trinidad on the 18th, the light cruiser entered the Norfolk Navy Yard on 26 October for post-shakedown overhaul. Following these repairs, and a trip north to Rockland, Maine, for gyro and compass standardization trials. Passing through the Panama Canal on 24 November, Biloxi arrived in San Francisco on 4 December and she arrived at Oahu on 11 December and conducted her first fire support exercise at Kahoolawe Island in company with the heavy cruiser Wichita between 15 and 19 December. The light cruiser sailed back to San Francisco the next day, after moving to San Pedro for blower repairs, she reported for duty with the Fifth Fleet. On 1 January 1944, Biloxi joined the battleship Maryland, the cruisers Louisville and Mobile, return to San Pedro, she refueled and provisioned in preparation for Operation Flintlock. Biloxi put to sea on 13 January and, after joining Task Group 53.5 in Hawaii, in company with Louisville, Mobile, Santa Fe, and six destroyers, the light cruiser approached Wotje early in the morning on 30 January. After launching her Kingfisher spotter aircraft, she carried out a bombardment of the Japanese air base on Wotje from dawn until noon. Enemy shore batteries fired back intermittently, one of which straddled Biloxi, a later ricochet hit the superstructure above the signal bridge but fortunately did not explode. Over the next two days, the cruiser participated in several more shore bombardment missions against Roi Island in support of amphibious landings made by the Northern Attack Force. She then screened three escort carriers for five days before entering Majuro lagoon on the 7th to refuel, after a second strike during the morning of the 17th, the task group retired east to refuel. Following the departure of Enterprise later that day, the warships were shifted into TG58.2. On 19 February, a Japanese reconnaissance aircraft closed the group and was shot down by anti-aircraft fire

26.
USS Birmingham (CL-62)
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She was commissioned on 29 January 1943, Captain John Wilkes in command. Birmingham was one of the fightingest ships of the Navy and suffered damage on at least three occasions. Following her shakedown cruise, Birmingham was assigned to the Atlantic Fleet, departing Norfolk, Virginia on 2 June, she steamed to the Mediterranean and gave gunfire support during the invasion of Sicily. Returning to the United States on 8 August, she was reassigned to the Pacific Fleet, joining the fast carrier task force screen, she took part in the raids on Tarawa and Wake Island. At the Solomons, she took part in the Battle of Empress Augusta Bay, along with her sister ships Cleveland, Columbia, Montpelier and this was the first major action by the new Cleveland-class light cruisers that were entering the fleet. Birminghams gunners shot down at least four enemy Japanese aircraft, during the daytime, Japanese planes hit Birmingham with two bombs and a torpedo. The ships casualties included two killed and 34 wounded, the hits kept her out of the night surface battle with the Imperial Japanese Navy fleet that followed. Birmingham retired to Mare Island Navy Yard for repairs which lasted until 18 February 1944, assigned to Task Force 57, she took part in the battle of Saipan, the Battle of the Philippine Sea, battle of Tinian, battle of Guam, and Philippine Islands raids. She then served with TF38 during the Okinawa raid, northern Luzon and Formosa raids, during the latter, she suffered great topside damage from explosions on board the aircraft carrier Princeton while courageously attempting to aid that stricken vessel. 239 men died,408 were wounded, and the bodies of four were never recovered, Birmingham retired to Mare Island Navy Yard for repairs which lasted from November 1944 to January 1945. Rejoining the Pacific Fleet, the supported the battle of Iwo Jima. On 4 May, after fighting off three attacks, she was damaged for a time when a Japanese kamikaze plane hit her forward. The resulting explosion killed 47, with 4 missing and 81 wounded, returning to Pearl Harbor, she underwent repairs from 28 May to 1 August. Birmingham rejoined the 5th Fleet at Okinawa on 26 August, and then in November steamed to Brisbane and she returned to San Francisco on 22 March 1946 and was taken out of commission and placed in reserve there on 2 January 1947. She was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 March 1959 and scrapped at Long Beach, Birmingham earned nine battle stars during her World War II service. This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, the entry can be found here. Navsource. org, USS Birmingham hazegray. org, USS Birmingham The Mighty B - Captain Thomas B, inglis Solomons Islands Damage Report,8 November 1943

27.
USS Boise (CL-47)
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USS Boise was a light cruiser of the Brooklyn class in the United States Navy. The cruiser was named for Boise, the city of the state of Idaho. Commissioned in 1938, she saw service during World War II, taking part in fighting in the Mediterranean. Following the war the ship was decommissioned in 1946 and lay idle until sold to Argentina in 1951, renamed Nueve de Julio, the ship remained in service with the Argentinian Navy until 1978, after which she was taken to Brownsville, Texas and scrapped in 1983. Boise was launched on 3 December 1936 by Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, Newport News, Virginia, sponsored by Miss Salome Clark, the ship commissioned on 12 August 1938 with Captain Benjamin Vaughan McCandlish in command. In February 1939, following a cruise to Monrovia, Liberia and Cape Town, Union of South Africa, Boise joined Cruiser Division 9, Battle Force, at San Pedro. Until November 1941, she operated alternately off the west coast and she then escorted a convoy to Manila, Philippine Islands, arriving on 4 December. The outbreak of war in the Philippines on 8 December 1941 found Boise off Cebu Island, on 9 January 1942 Task Force 5 was in northern Australian waters. Her repairs completed, she sailed on 22 June to escort a convoy to Auckland, Boise departed Pearl Harbor 27 July and was expected to begin this raid on the Japanese sampan patrol line guarding approaches to Honshu about 750 miles east of Tokyo on 5 August. She completed the raid on 8 August, two seaplanes that had to land on the water at sunset were lost, one being found by the Japanese with indications this caused apprehension of a strike force preparing to attack Japan. In August, she escorted a convoy to Fiji and New Hebrides, from 14–18 September, she helped cover the landing of Marine reinforcements on Guadalcanal. On the night of 11—12 October 1942, during the Battle of Cape Esperance, in the engagement Boise was hit a number of times, twice by fire from a Japanese heavy cruiser from about 7,500 yards range. One hit exploded upon impact on her armor causing little damage, the other exploded in the 6 in magazine located between number I and II turrets causing a powder fire and flooding, putting turrets I, II, and III out of action and causing a number of casualties. A total of 107 crew were killed by the fire, the gunfire damage was the first case available for complete Bureau of Ships analysis. It was discovered one of the shells was of English manufacture. Boise departed on 8 June for the Mediterranean, arriving at Algiers, from 10 July to 18 August, she acted as a cover and fire support ship for the Amphibious Battle of Gela during the Invasion of Sicily. In September, she took part in the Italian mainland landings at Taranto and she returned to New York on 15 November, and once again steamed to the South Pacific, arriving at Milne Bay, New Guinea on 31 December. She then moved to Borneo for the Tarakan landings, from 3–16 June, she carried General MacArthur on a 3,500 miles tour of the Central and Southern Philippines and Brunei Bay, Borneo, and then returned to San Pedro, California, arriving on 7 July

28.
USS Boston (CA-69)
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USS Boston, a Baltimore-class heavy cruiser, was the sixth ship of the United States Navy to be named for the U. S. city of Boston, Massachusetts. Boston reported to the Pacific Fleet, arriving at Pearl Harbor 6 December 1943 and she joined Task Force 58 in January and took part in the raids on the Marshall Islands in support of the invasions of Kwajalein, Majuro, and of Eniwetok. Boston also supported the assaults on the Palaus and Western Carolines between 30 March and 1 April, and operations at Hollandia and Western New Guinea on 21 –24 April. The ship participated in the attack on Truk, including bombardment of Satawan Island between 29 April –1 May, Boston supported the invasion of Saipan between 11 and 24 June. She also took part in raids on the Bonin Islands in June and July. Boston towed the crippled Houston after it was torpedoed by the Japanese, Boston returned to the Marianas, to support the invasion of Guam on 12 July, until the successful completion of the campaign on 15 August. She also supported the raids on the Philippine Islands, starting on 9 September until 24 September, Boston also participated in the Battle of Leyte Gulf on 24 October, as well as the Formosa raids in January, on 3–4,9,15, and 21 January 1945. Further raids on Luzon took place on 6–7 January, with raids on the Chinese mainland on 12 and 16 January. The carrier task force launched a raid on Nansei Shoto on 22 January, Boston then returned to the United States for overhaul, arriving at Long Beach, California,25 March 1945. Returning to the Western Pacific, via Pearl Harbor and Eniwetok, she joined TF38 for the raids on the Japanese home islands, including the bombardment of Kamaishi, following the Japanese surrender, Boston remained in the Far East on occupation duty until 28 February 1946. She then returned to the United States and was placed out of commission in reserve at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard on 12 March 1946. In February 1952 she was towed from Bremerton, Washington, to Philadelphia for conversion to a guided missile cruiser by New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden. During conversion her aft 8 inch turret was replaced with missile launchers. After making a Midshipmens cruise to South America, taking part in NATO exercises in the North Atlantic and this cruise included participation in the Lebanon crisis. During the next eight years she operated in the Mediterranean, often in the role of flagship, as well as taking part in exercises off Northern Europe, in the Caribbean. Boston served as flagship for the effort of the Palomares Incident from February through April 1966. In April 1967, Boston returned to the Pacific for the first time in fifteen years, transiting the Panama Canal to begin a tour of combat service with the 7th Fleet. Part of Naval Gunfire Support Task Unit 77.8.9 and Sea Dragon operations off North Vietnam, she fired thousands of rounds of eight and five-inch shells against targets in North and South Vietnam

29.
USS Brooklyn (CL-40)
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USS Brooklyn was a light cruiser, the lead ship of her class of seven, and the third United States Navy ship to bear its name. Commissioned in 1937, she served in the Atlantic during World War II, as a convoy escort, decommissioned in 1947, she was transferred to the Chilean Navy in 1951, where she served for another 40 years. She sank under tow to a scrapyard in 1992, designed and built under the terms of the 1922 Washington Naval Arms Limitation Treaty, the Brooklyn-class light cruisers were authorized by Congress in 1933. This was the layout as the Japanese Mogami-class cruiser warships. The Brooklyn-class was also noticeable for its flush-deck hull, with its high transom, following shakedown training out of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Brooklyn joined the fleet in the Panama Canal Zone during the latter part of 1938. She was assigned to Cruiser Division 8 and attended to duties with the fleet until April 1939. In mid-April, she returned to the United States where she participated in the opening of the New York Worlds Fair on 30 April 1939. On 23 May, Brooklyn was ordered to the scene of the Squalus disaster,6 mi south of the Isles of Shoals, until 3 June, she acted as a base ship during the salvage and rescue operations. Brooklyn then steamed to the west coast, where she joined the Pacific Fleet and she served on the west coast until March 1941, when she departed on a good-will and training tour of the South Pacific. In May, she left Pearl Harbor for the east coast where she joined the Atlantic Squadron, from 1–7 July 1941, she escorted the convoy carrying Marines to Reykjavík, Iceland. During the remainder of 1941, Brooklyn engaged in convoy escort, with the entry of the United States into World War II, Brooklyn got underway from Bermuda to patrol the Caribbean Sea. In April 1942, she was assigned escort duty between the United States and the United Kingdom. On 3 September, during one of the crossings, Wakefield. Brooklyn rescued 1,173 troops who had been embarked onboard Wakefield, although severely damaged by the fire, Wakefield was towed to safety and repaired. On 24 October 1942, Brooklyn departed Norfolk, Virginia for North Africa, on 8 November, she bombarded shore installations to cover the Fedhala landing of Operation Torch. Unhappily, it was later determined Brooklyn fired upon friendly troops before the nearby French fort surrendered, French warships then sortie from Casablanca, and Brooklyn and Augusta took destroyer Milan under fire. During the action, Brooklyn was struck by small caliber fire, Brooklyn also assisted in damaging Brestois and may have damaged light cruiser Primauguet. Both French warships were later beached or sank from the damage, unbeknownst to the cruisers crew, Brooklyn was also attacked by French second-class submarine Amazone, but her torpedoes missed wide of the mark

30.
USS Buffalo (CL-99)
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The vessel that eventually became the light aircraft carrier Bataan was originally planned as the Cleveland-class light cruiser Buffalo. Following the December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, the need for more carriers became urgent, in response, the Navy ordered the conversion of nine Cleveland-class light cruiser then under construction to completion as light aircraft carriers. These became known as the Independence-class light aircraft carriers, thus, CL-99 was reclassified CV-29 and renamed Bataan on 2 June 1942. She was further reclassified as CVL-29 on 15 July 1943, Bataan displaced 11,000 long tons light and 16,260 long tons at full load. She had a length of 622 feet 6 inches and a waterline length of 600 feet. Her extreme beam was 109 feet 2 inches and her beam at the waterline was 71 feet 6 inches and her draft was 26 feet maximum. For armament she was equipped with 24 Bofors 40 mm gun and 22 Oerlikon 20 mm cannon for anti-aircraft protection and her armor consisted of 5 inches of belt armor,2 inches on the decks, and 1⁄2 inch on the conning tower. She was powered by four Babcock & Wilcox steam boilers and General Electric geared turbines producing 100,000 shaft horsepower for her four screws and she had a design speed of 31.5 knots and had a range of 12,500 nautical miles at 15 knots. She normally carried a complement of 1569, the vessel was ordered 16 December 1940 as a light cruiser and reordered as a light aircraft carrier on 2 June 1942. She was laid down on 31 August 1942 and launched on 1 August 1943 at the New York Shipbuilding Corporation in Camden, New Jersey, sponsored by Mrs. George D. Murray, wife of Rear Admiral Murray. She was commissioned on 17 November 1943, with Captain V. H. Schaeffer in command, after fitting out at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, Bataan conducted preliminary shakedown training in Chesapeake Bay before sailing to the West Indies on 11 January 1944. Two days later, while en route to Trinidad, she suffered her first loss when a Grumman F6F Hellcat fighter crashed into her number 2 stack and burst into flames, killing three crewmen. Returning to Philadelphia on 14 February, she underwent post-shakedown repairs, transiting the Panama Canal on 8 March, she arrived in San Diego on the 16th. Two days later, she sailed for Hawaii with her flight and hangar decks full with passengers, planes, arriving at Pearl Harbor on the 22 March, the she conducted a week of pilot qualification drills in preparation for forward area deployment. The warship lost her second plane on 31 March when a Hellcat crashed the landing barrier, Bataan departed Pearl Harbor on 4 April accompanied by her destroyers and steamed to the Marshall Islands. She arrived at Majuro Atoll on the 9th and reported for duty with the fast carriers of Task Force 58 that same day. On 13 April, she sailed with the carriers Hornet, Belleau Wood, Cowpens and these raids were intended to support American amphibious operations in the Humboldt Bay-Tanahmerah Bay region of New Guinea. On 21 April, Bataan launched five fighter sweeps to attack Japanese aircraft, the pilots claimed hits on numerous buildings, flak guns, coastal barges and three aircraft on the ground

31.
USS Canberra
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USS Canberra was a Baltimore-class cruiser and later a Boston-class guided missile cruiser of the United States Navy. Originally to be named USS Pittsburgh, the ship was renamed before launch to honor the loss of the Australian cruiser HMAS Canberra during the Battle of Savo Island, USS Canberra is the only USN warship named for a foreign warship or a foreign capital city. Placed in reserve after the war, Canberra was selected for conversion into the second guided-missile carrying warship in the USN fleet, Canberra was decommissioned in 1970, struck in 1978, and broken up in 1980. One of her propellers is preserved at the Los Angeles Maritime Museum, the Baltimore-class heavy cruiser was laid down as USS Pittsburgh by the Bethlehem Steel Company Fore River Shipyard at Quincy in Massachusetts on 3 September 1941. Canberra was commissioned into the USN on 14 October 1943, Captain Alex Rieman Early, the Australian Government returned this tribute by naming a new Tribal-class destroyer, HMAS Bataan, in honor of the US stand during the Battle of Bataan. Leaving Boston in January 1944, escorted by the destroyer USS Norman Scott, Canberra sailed to Pearl Harbor via San Diego, in late February, the ship provided bombardment support during the Battle of Eniwetok. On 13 April, Canberra was again escorting when Yorktowns aircraft provided support to amphibious landings at Hollandia and Wakde. From 29 April to 1 May, the cruiser was attached to the USS Enterprise group for air attacks on Truk, during the operation, Canberra detached to shell a Japanese airbase at Satawan. The cruiser was involved in raids on Marcus and Wake Islands during May, as part of this campaign, Canberra participated in the Battle of the Philippine Sea, and shelled Japanese bases in the Bonin Islands. During August and September, the ship performed raids on the Palaus, at the start of October, Canberra joined Task Force 38, which was tasked with performing air raids on Okinawa and Taiwan, in preparation for the landings at Leyte. On 13 October, a torpedo from a Japanese aircraft hit the cruiser below her armour belt. The explosion killed 23 personnel and exposed the engineering spaces to the ocean, USS Wichita took Canberra under tow for a rendezvous with the tug USS Munsee, which took over the tow after putting a salvage crew aboard. During the tow, the officer from Munsee died while diving in the cruisers flooded engine room to make temporary repairs. A week into the tow towards Ulithi, Munsee was joined by the War Shipping Administration leased tug Watch Hill and it took another week for the two tugboats to bring Canberra to the repair ship USS Ajax. After temporary repairs at Manus, Canberra sailed under her own power to Boston Navy Yard, the cruiser was docked for repairs, which lasted from February to October 1945. The cruiser was deployed to the west coast of the United States just before the end of the war, Canberra received seven battle stars for her wartime service. Canberra was decommissioned on 7 March 1947 and berthed with the Pacific Reserve Fleet at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, during the conversion, Canberras aft 8-inch and 5-inch gun turrets were replaced with two twin RIM-2 Terrier missile launchers. Her aft superstructure was rebuilt, and the two funnels were redesigned as a single unit, the upgrade of the ship concluded in June 1956, making Canberra the second guided-missile ship in the USN fleet

32.
USS Chester (CA-27)
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USS Chester, a Northampton-class cruiser, was the second ship of the United States Navy named after the city of Chester, Pennsylvania. Chester cleared Newport, Rhode Island on 13 August 1930 for an extensive European cruise and she visited Barcelona, Naples, Constantinople, Phaleron Bay, and Gibraltar before returning to Chester, Pennsylvania, for voyage repairs on 13 October. Chester carried the back to Miami, Fla. arriving on 22 March, then sailed to Narragansett Bay for exercises. Originally classified as a cruiser, CL-27, because of her thin armor. Effective 1 July 1931, Chester was redesignated a cruiser, CA-27. She arrived at San Pedro, California on 14 August and joined in the activities of the fleet. Returning to San Francisco on 14 December 1935, she resumed operations with Cruiser Division 4, Chester returned to San Pedro on 24 December. Chester remained on the West Coast for fleet exercises and training cruises to Hawaiian and Alaskan waters from 1937 except for a cruise to the East Coast for exercises, Chester was one of six ships to receive the new RCA CXAM radar in 1940. Homeported at Pearl Harbor from 3 February, the cruiser exercised in Hawaiian waters, Chester remained on patrol with Task Force 8 in Hawaiian waters. On 12 December, her planes bombed a submarine, then guided Balch to a charge attack which continued until contact was lost. Chester supported the reinforcement landing on Samoa, then joined Task Group 8.3 commanded by Adm. William Halsey for the raid on Taroa. Retiring under heavy air attack, she received a hit in the well deck which killed eight. The Chester was the surface ship to lose men in the first surface attack of the Pacific war. She returned to Pearl Harbor on 3 February for repairs, five of Chesters crew were wounded in this encounter. On 10 May, she received 478 survivors of Lexington from Hammann, after a West Coast overhaul, Chester arrived at Nouméa on 21 September 1942, to join TF62 for the landings on Funafuti, Ellice Islands. She returned to Espiritu Santo under her own power for emergency repairs on 23 October, three days later, President Coolidge struck a mine, and Chester sent fire and rescue parties to her aid as well as taking on the 440 survivors for transfer to Espiritu Santo. She steamed to Sydney, Australia on 29 October for further repairs and on Christmas Day, departed for Norfolk, returning to San Francisco on 13 September 1943, Chester operated on escort duty between that port and Pearl Harbor until 20 October. On 8 November, she cleared Pearl Harbor for the invasion of the Gilbert Islands, on 18–20 November, after air attacks, destroyers and cruisers bombarded Tarawa

33.
USS Chicago (CA-29)
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USS Chicago was a Northampton-class cruiser of the United States Navy that served in the Pacific Theater in the early years of World War II. She was the second US Navy ship to be named after the city of Chicago, Chicago was launched on 10 April 1930 by Mare Island Naval Shipyard, sponsored by Miss E. Britten, and commissioned on 9 March 1931, Captain Manley Hale Simons in command. Originally classified as a cruiser, CL-29, because of her thin armor. Effective 1 July 1931, Chicago was redesignated a cruiser, CA-29. After a shakedown cruise to Honolulu, Tahiti and American Samoa, Chicago departed Mare Island on 27 July 1931 and sailed to the east coast, arriving at Fort Pond Bay, New York, on 16 August. There, she became flagship of Commander, Cruisers, Scouting Force, in February 1932, Chicago conducted gunnery exercises with other ships of the Scouting Force preliminary to Fleet Problem XIII off the California coast. The Fleet was based on the West Coast thereafter and, until 1934, operated in the Pacific, from Alaska to the Panama Canal Zone, on 24 October 1933, Chicago collided with the British freighter Silver Palm in dense fog off Point Sur, California. Three officers aboard Chicago were killed in their quarters during the collision, Silver Palm penetrated around 18 feet into the cruisers port bow, forward of the Number 1 gun mount. At the time of the incident damage was estimated to be around $200,000, in 1934, the annual fleet exercises were held in the Caribbean, followed in May 1934 by the Presidential Fleet Review in New York Harbor. The Scouting Force operated along the east coast and in the Caribbean until October and then returned to base at San Pedro, Chicago was one of six ships to receive the new RCA CXAM radar in 1940. Chicago continued to out of San Pedro until 29 September 1940. During the next 14 months, Chicago operated out of Pearl Harbor, exercising with various task forces to develop tactics and cruising formations, the Force returned to Pearl Harbor on 12 December, from 14–27 December, Chicago operated with Task Force 11 on patrol and search missions. On 2 February 1942, Chicago departed Pearl Harbor for Suva Bay where she joined the newly formed ANZAC Squadron, during March and April, the cruiser operated off the Louisiade Archipelago, covering the attacks on Lae and Salamaua, New Guinea. In a position to intercept enemy units which attempted to attack Port Moresby. On 7 May, she proceeded, with the Support Group, to intercept, on the night of 31 May –1 June, while in port in Sydney Harbour, Australia, Chicago fired on an attacking Japanese midget submarine. Chicagos captain, Howard D. Bode, was ashore when his ship opened fire, after coming back aboard on his gig, he initially accused all the officers of being drunk. Shortly afterwards, the presence of the submarine was confirmed, three Japanese midget submarines had attacked Sydney Harbour. One became entangled in a boom net, and two were able to pass through

34.
USS Chicago (CA-136)
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USS Chicago was a Baltimore-class heavy cruiser laid down on 28 July 1943 at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US, by the Philadelphia Navy Yard. Chicago spent her first six weeks preparing for sea duty before departing on 26 February for Norfolk, after conducting training exercises, and calibrated her compasses in Chesapeake Bay, the cruiser got underway on 12 March for the Gulf of Paria, Trinidad. Arriving on 18 March, the cruiser conducted training and shore bombardment exercises off Culebra, Puerto Rico. Following inspections and battle problem training, the sailed to Philadelphia for post-shakedown repair availability on 16 April. In company with the destroyer Alfred A. Cunningham, the departed for the Caribbean on 7 May. Designed to operate offensively with strike and amphibious forces, Chicago spent her time conducting various anti-air drills, gunnery exercises. After refueling at San Juan, Puerto Rico on 11 May, with transit complete the next day, the ships arrived at Pearl Harbor on 31 May. Following another period of gunnery, day battle, anti-aircraft, and shore bombardment exercises off Kahoolawe Island, in company with the battleship North Carolina, Chicago arrived at the atoll on 5 July and immediately refueled from Pan American. Underway that same day, with the destroyer Stockham, added for anti-submarine screen, added to the anti-aircraft screen, Chicago guarded the Task Groups carriers as they conducted air strikes against the Tokyo Plains area, Honshū, Japan, on 10 July. After refueling on 12 July, the Task Group returned to the Japanese coast and launched air strikes against airfields, shipping, at 1212, the cruiser joined the battleships in firing on the iron works and warehouses. At 1251, the secondary battery guns began firing on a Japanese destroyer-escort type vessel. The escort was straddled and hit by 5 in shell fire, began smoking, the Task Force retired at 1426, leaving the port under a pall of black smoke. The following day, Chicago operated as a seaplane carrier when the battleship Iowa transferred her SC Seahawk floatplanes to the cruiser. By hanging one plane over the side with the crane the crew was able to launch a Seahawk from the catapult for spotting services. On 29 July, in company with King George V and several American battleships, using radar, and assisted by spotting planes dropping flares and rockets, the ships fired at bridges, factories and the rail yard for about an hour. Rejoining the Task Group five hours later Chicago once again screened the carriers as they launched air strikes against the Tokyo-Nagoya area. Operations with the carriers, including a diversion to the south to avoid a typhoon, for the next six days, the cruiser screened the carriers as they launched continuous strikes against the Japanese Home Islands, until 15 August and the Japanese armistice. Chicago remained with the carriers until 23 August, when she departed for Japan, anchoring in Sagami Wan on 27 August, and then moving to Tokyo Bay on 3 September, the cruiser supported the unloading of supplies and equipment for Third Fleet occupation forces

35.
USS Cincinnati (CL-6)
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USS Cincinnati, was the third Omaha-class light cruiser, originally classified as a scout cruiser, built for the United States Navy. She was also the third Navy ship named for the city of Cincinnati and she split her pre-war career between the Atlantic and the Pacific Fleets. She served in the Scouting Fleet, based in the Atlantic, in 1924–1927, Cincinnati joined the Asiatic Fleet in 1927 and returned to the Atlantic from 1928–1932. She continued to go back and forth between oceans until March 1941 when she was assigned to Neutrality Patrol in the western Atlantic. When the United States entered World War II she was assigned to TF41, based at Recife and she eventually helped in Operation Dragoon before resuming patrol duty in the South Atlantic. Cincinnati was ordered on 29 August 1916 and contracted to be built by Todd Dry Dock & Construction Co. Cincinnati was 550 feet long at the waterline with a length of 555 feet 6 inches, her beam was 55 feet 4 inches. Her standard displacement was 7,050 long tons and 9,508 long tons at full load and her crew, during peace time, consisted of 29 officers and 429 enlisted men. Cincinnati was powered by four Westinghouse geared steam turbines, each driving one screw, the engines were designed to produce 90,000 indicated horsepower and reach a top speed of 35 knots. Originally she was to mount ten 6 in /53 caliber guns, two on either side at the waist, with the remaining eight mounted in tiered casemates on either side of the fore and her secondary armament consisted of two 3 in /50 caliber anti-aircraft guns in single mounts. Cincinnati was initially built with the capacity to carry 224 mines and she also carried two triple and two twin, above-water, torpedo tube mounts for 21 inches torpedoes. The triple mounts were fitted on either side of the deck, aft of the aircraft catapults. The ship lacked a full-length waterline armor belt, the sides of her boiler and engine rooms and steering gear were protected by 3 inches of armor. The transverse bulkheads at the end of her rooms were 1.5 inches thick forward. The deck over the spaces and steering gear had a thickness of 1.5 inches. The gun turrets were not armored and only provided protection against muzzle blast, Cincinnati carried two floatplanes aboard that were stored on the two catapults. During her career Cincinnati went through several armament changes, some of changes were save weight. The lower torpedo tube proved to be very wet and were removed

36.
USS Cleveland (CL-55)
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USS Cleveland was the lead ship and one of the 28 United States Navy Cleveland-class light cruisers completed during or shortly after World War II. She was the ship to be named for the city of Cleveland. Cleveland was commissioned in June 1942, and saw service in the war. Like almost all of her ships, she was decommissioned shortly after the end of the war. Cleveland was scrapped in the early 1960s, on 1 November 1941, Hull No.423 was launched and christened USS Cleveland. Built by New York Shipbuilding Corporation of Camden, New Jersey, clearing Norfolks Chesapeake Bay on 10 October 1942, Cleveland joined a task force off Bermuda bound for the invasion of North Africa – the first new class of ship to enter World War II. Her firepower supported the landings at Fedhala, French Morocco on 8 November, Cleveland sailed for the Pacific on 5 December 1942, and arrived at Efate Island on 16 January. Command of Cleveland passed to Captain Andrew G. Shepard in June, still with TF68, Merrills Marauders, Cleveland fired in the bombardment of the Shortland Islands on 30 June and provided gun support for the invasion landings at Munda, New Georgia on 12 July. Following a short period at Sydney, Australia, Cleveland sailed for the preinvasion bombardment of the Treasury Islands on 26–27 October. Cleveland poured her radar-controlled fire into the four Japanese cruisers for over an hour, aiding in sinking Sendai, an air attack followed and one stick of bombs severely rocked Cleveland, who answered by splashing several of the enemy planes. She returned to Buka for another bombardment on 23 December, then patrolled between Truk and Green Island, Papua New Guinea from 13 to 18 February 1944 while American forces captured the latter. One practice bombardment on 20 May brought return fire unexpectedly which straddled the ship, from 8 June to 12 August, Cleveland participated in the Marianas operation. On 24 July, during the invasion of Tinian, Cleveland came to the aid of the destroyer Norman Scott, Norman Scott was hit six times within a few seconds by shore batteries. Cleveland maneuvered between Norman Scott and the batteries, preventing her from taking any more hits. She conducted softening-up bombardments and then fire support for invading troops until she joined TF58 for the Battle of the Philippine Sea on 19–20 June. From 12 to 29 September, Cleveland participated in the invasion of the Palaus and she arrived in Subic Bay on 9 February 1945, and sailed on to bombard Corregidor on 13–14 February, effectively neutralizing the fortress before the landings there. Continuing to support the consolidation of the Philippines, she covered the landings at Puerto Princesa, the Visayas, Panay, and the Malabang-Parang area on Mindanao. Cleveland put out from Subic Bay on 7 June to act as part of the force and provide fire support for the invasion landings at Brunei Bay

37.
USS Columbia (CL-56)
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USS Columbia was one of 26 United States Navy Cleveland-class light cruisers completed during or shortly after World War II. The ship, the sixth US Navy ship to bear the name, was named for the city of Columbia, Columbia was commissioned in July 1942, and saw service in several campaigns in the Pacific. Like almost all her ships, she was decommissioned shortly after the end of the war. Columbia was scrapped in the early 1960s, a memorial to the ship and men who served on her exists in Columbia, SC. Columbia was laid down on 18 August 1940 by the New York Shipbuilding Corp, camden, New Jersey, and launched on 17 December 1941 sponsored by Miss J. A. Paschal. She was commissioned on 29 July 1942, with Captain W. A, Columbia aided in shooting down three enemy planes in this battle. Based out of Efate from 1 February, Columbia continued her patrols in the Solomons, on 11–12 July, she bombarded Munda, and until 5 September, when she sailed for a brief overhaul at Sydney, patrolled southeast of the Solomons. Columbia, rejoined her division on 24 September off Vella LaVella, as Marines stormed ashore on Bougainville on 1 November, Columbias guns pounded targets on Buka and Bonis and in the Shortlands. On the night of 2 November, her force intercepted a Japanese group sailing to attack transports lying off Bougainville and she continued to support the Bougainville landings and bombard targets in the Solomons through December. After training exercises in the New Hebrides in January 1944, Columbia helped spearhead the attack and occupation of Nissan, one of the Green Islands from 13 to 18 February. Early in March, her group swept along the line between Truk and Kavieng in search of shipping, then covered the assault and occupation of Emirau Island from 17 to 23 March. On 4 April, Columbia sailed from Port Purvis for an overhaul at San Francisco and these islands were taken on 17 October, and Columbia sailed on to give gunfire cover to the main landings three days later. But as the landings proceeded, the Japanese fleet sailed south to give battle, attacks by motor torpedo boats and destroyers on the Japanese force opened this phase of the decisive battle for Leyte Gulf. Columbia with other cruisers had joined the old battleships and lay in wait, toward dawn, Columbia sped to deliver the final blows which sank destroyer Asagumo, crippled in earlier attacks. After replenishing at Manus early in November, Columbia returned to Leyte Gulf to protect reinforcement convoys from air attack. In December, operating from Kossol Roads in the Palaus, she covered Army landings on Mindoro and these were Columbias first casualties of the war. On 1 January 1945, Columbia sailed for the landings in Lingayen Gulf and on 6 January, as pre-invasion bombardments were getting underway, Columbia suffered a near miss by a kamikaze and then another of the kamikaze planes struck on her port quarter by a second. The plane and its bomb penetrated two decks before exploding, killing 13 and wounding 44 of the crew, putting her aft turrets out of action, ammunition was removed from the after magazines to refill the forward magazines, much of this was done by hand

38.
USS Concord (CL-10)
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USS Concord was an Omaha-class light cruiser, originally classified as a scout cruiser, of the United States Navy. She was the fourth Navy ship named for the town of Concord, Massachusetts and she spent the first nine years of her career in the Atlantic as part of the Scouting Force. Concord transferred to the Pacific in 1932 and spent the rest of her career, except for the winter of 1938–39 and her home port moved to Pearl Harbor in April 1940 but escaped the attack on Pearl Harbor because she was in San Diego for an overhaul. Concord was authorized on 29 August 1916 and assigned to William Cramp and Sons and she was laid down on 29 March 1920 and launched on 15 December 1921, sponsored by Miss H. Butterick. Concord was commissioned on 3 November 1923, with future Admiral, Concord was 550 feet long at the waterline with an overall length of 555 feet 6 inches, her beam was 55 feet 4 inches and a mean draft of 13 feet 6 inches. Her standard displacement was 7,050 long tons and 9,508 long tons at full load and her crew, during peace time, consisted of 29 officers and 429 enlisted men. Concord was powered by four Parsons steam turbines geared steam turbines, each driving one screw, the engines were designed to produce 90,000 indicated horsepower and reach a top speed of 35 knots. Originally she was to mount ten 6 in /53 caliber guns, two on either side at the waist, with the remaining eight mounted in tiered casemates on either side of the fore and her secondary armament consisted of two 3 in /50 caliber anti-aircraft guns in single mounts. Concord was initially built with the capacity to carry 224 mines and she also carried two triple and two twin, above-water, torpedo tube mounts for 21 inches torpedoes. The triple mounts were fitted on either side of the deck, aft of the aircraft catapults. The ship lacked a full-length waterline armor belt, the sides of her boiler and engine rooms and steering gear were protected by 3 inches of armor. The transverse bulkheads at the end of her rooms were 1.5 inches thick forward. The deck over the spaces and steering gear had a thickness of 1.5 inches. The gun turrets were not armored and only provided protection against muzzle blast, Concord carried two floatplanes aboard that were stored on the two catapults. During her career Concord went through several armament changes, some of changes were to save weight. The lower torpedo tube proved to be very wet and were removed. Another change made before the war was to increase the 3 in guns to eight, after 1940 the lower aft 6 in guns were removed and the casemates plated over for the same reason as the lower torpedo mounts. The ships anti-aircraft armament were augmented by three twin 40 mm Bofors guns along with 1220 mm Oerlikon cannons by the end of the war

39.
USS Dayton (CL-78)
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USS Monterey was an Independence-class light aircraft carrier of the United States Navy, in service during World War II and used in training for several years thereafter. Bellinger, and commissioned on 17 June 1943, Captain Lestor T. Hundt in command and it was the third US Navy vessel to be named after the Battle of Monterey. Former U. S. President Gerald R. Ford served aboard the ship during World War II, Monterey was reclassified CVL-26 on 15 July 1943, shortly before commissioning, and after shakedown, departed Philadelphia for the western Pacific. She reached the Gilbert Islands on 19 November 1943, in time to help secure Makin Island. She took part in strikes on Kavieng, New Ireland on 25 December, as part of Task Group 37.2, and supported the landings at Kwajalein and Eniwetok until 8 February 1944. The light carrier then operated with Task Force 58 during raids in the Caroline Islands, Mariana Islands, northern New Guinea, during this time she was also involved in the Battle of the Philippine Sea on 19–20 June. Monterey then sailed to Pearl Harbor for overhaul, departing again on 29 August. She launched strikes against Wake Island on 3 September, then joined TF38 and participated in strikes in the southern Philippines, October through December 1944 were spent in the Philippines, supporting first the Leyte, and then the Mindoro landings. Though enemy planes had been unable to damage Monterey, she did not complete her first full year of service unscathed, in December, she steamed into the path of Typhoon Cobra, with winds over 100 knots. At the height of the storm, which lasted 2 days, several planes tore loose from their cables, during the storm future US President Gerald Ford, who served on board the ship, was almost swept overboard. Ford, serving as General Quarters Officer of the Deck, was ordered to go below to assess the raging fire and he did so safely, and reported his findings back to the ship’s commanding officer, Captain Stuart Ingersoll. The ship’s crew was able to contain the fire, and the ship got underway again, Monterey arrived Bremerton, Washington for overhaul in January 1945. She rejoined TF58 and supported Okinawa operations by launching strikes against Nansei Shoto and she rejoined TF38 for the final strike against Honshū and Hokkaidō from 1 July to 15 August. Monterey departed Japanese waters on 7 September, having embarked troops at Tokyo, Monterey left behind an impressive and enviable war record. Her planes sank five warships, and damaged others. She was responsible for the destruction of thousands of tons of Japanese shipping, hundreds of planes and she was assigned Magic Carpet duty, and made several voyages between Naples and Norfolk. She was decommissioned on 11 February 1947, and was assigned to the Atlantic Reserve Fleet, with the outbreak of hostilities in the Korean War, Monterey recommissioned on 15 September 1950. From 1 to 11 October 1954, she took part in a rescue mission in Honduras

40.
USS Dayton (CL-105)
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USS Dayton was a Cleveland-class light cruiser of the United States Navy. The ship was named after the city of Dayton, Ohio, the ship was launched 19 March 1944 by New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey, sponsored by Mrs. H. Rueger, and commissioned 7 January 1945, Captain Paul William Steinhagen in command. Construction for Dayton was underwritten in part by the citizens of the City of Dayton Ohio through the purchase of war bonds, Dayton arrived at Pearl Harbor 15 May for training, and reached San Pedro Bay, Leyte,16 June to join the 3rd Fleet. On 1 July, she sortied with the Fleet for the strikes along the Japanese coast, screening the fast carrier task groups. Dayton sailed from San Pedro 24 January 1946 and arrived at Pearl Harbor 6 days later en route to Japan and her orders were changed and on 7 February she sailed to join the U. S. Atlantic Fleet, conducting training at Guantanamo Bay on her way to Norfolk, Virginia, on 3 February 1947, Dayton sailed from Norfolk for a tour in the Mediterranean, exercising off Malta, and paying calls, including a diplomatic visit to Istanbul, Turkey. She sailed again for the Mediterranean in late July, where she served as the flagship of the Commander of Naval Forces, during this cruise the ship was dispatched to Bari, Italy to load rockets needed by the US and British forces protecting Trieste from insurgents allied with Yugoslavia. This deck cargo was unloaded in Trieste following a high speed run to that city in October 1947 and this visit coincided with the announcement by the Western powers that Trieste would be turned over to newly formed Italian government. The citizens of the city chose the opportunity to demonstrate in favor of the decision, the ship then sailed to Venice, tying up at San Marco Square. After a short visit in that city the ship returned to Trieste, following local operations from Newport and another cruise to the Mediterranean between 9 February and 26 June 1948, Dayton was placed out of commission in reserve at Boston 1 March 1949. She was stricken from the Naval Register on 1 September 1961, Dayton received one battle star for World War II service. This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, the entry can be found here. Photo gallery of USS Dayton (CL-105 at NavSource Naval History hazegray. org, USS Dayton

41.
USS Denver (CL-58)
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USS Denver was a Cleveland-class light cruiser. Denver launched on 4 April 1942 by New York Shipbuilding Corp, camden, New Jersey, sponsored by Miss L. J. Stapleton, daughter of the Mayor of Denver, and commissioned on 15 October 1942, Captain Robert Carney in command. It was the ship named for the city of Denver. Denver sailed from Philadelphia on 23 January 1943, and arrived at Efate, the new cruiser first saw combat in the bombardment of Vila on Kolombangara in the Solomon Islands, on 6 March. During this action her force engaged and sank the Japanese destroyers Minegumo, continuing her operations in the Solomons, Denver joined the bombardment of Ballale Island on 29–30 June in conjunction with the invasion landings on New Georgia, then remained in the area on patrol. On the last day of October 1943, Denver sortied from Port Purvis with Task Force 39 to intercept an enemy attempting to disrupt the landings at Cape Torokina. During the heavy firing Denver was hit by three 8-inch shells which fortunately did not explode and she shared in the Navy Unit Commendation awarded her division for its outstanding performance in this battle. She was towed by Sioux to Port Purvis and then by Pawnee to Espiritu Santo for temporary repairs, then sailed to Mare Island for permanent repairs, Denver returned to the forward area at Eniwetok, arriving on 22 June. Eight days later, she put to sea to screen carriers as they launched strikes to neutralize Japanese bases in the Bonins and she bombarded Iwo Jima on 4 July, and after screening continued air assaults returned to Eniwetok on 5 August. Denver sailed from Port Purvis on 6 September for the invasion of the Palaus and she returned to Manus Island on 28 September to prepare for the return to the Philippines. Attacks were made by motor boats and destroyers stationed in advance of the battle line. Yamashiro, Mogami, and Shigure were all that remained of the Japanese ships when Denver, with three other cruisers, she made a material contribution to the cumulative gunfire which sank Yamashiro. Mogami was later sunk by aircraft, and Shigure was the survivor of Nishimuras fleet which had sailed forth for this phase of the decisive Battle for Leyte Gulf. After this action, Denver sailed to aid in the destruction of any surviving enemy vessels and she joined the heavy covering group, for the Mindoro landings of 13–16 December, then returned to Manus on 24 December. Returning to San Pedro Bay on 3 January, Denver sortied the next day to cover the landings at Lingayen Gulf and she remained in the Philippines to join in the consolidation of those islands. On 7 June, Denver sailed from Subic Bay for the assaults on Brunei Bay, Borneo. Denver got underway for Okinawa on 13 July to hunt Japanese shipping off the China coast until 7 August. Denver arrived at Norfolk on 21 November, and after overhaul, reported to Newport, Rhode Island in January 1946 for duty training men of the Naval Reserve, and a good-will visit to Quebec, Canada

42.
USS Detroit (CL-8)
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USS Detroit was an Omaha-class light cruiser, originally classified as a scout cruiser, of the United States Navy. She was the fourth Navy ship named for the city of Detroit and she spent her first eight years as part of the Scouting Fleet either in the Atlantic or Mediterranean. Her first duty was to assist in the USAASs first aerial circumnavigation of the world in 1924, kellogg, in 1927, from Ireland to France for the negotiations that led to the signing of the Kellogg-Briand Pact. In 1931 she joined the Battle Force, where her home port was San Diego until moving to Pearl Harbor in 1941, Detroit was moored next to her sister Raleigh when the Japanese attacked on the morning of 7 December 1941. Detroit ordered 4 March 1917 with the contract being awarded to Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporations Fore River Shipyard in Quincy and she was laid down on 10 November 1920 and launched 29 June 1922. Her sponsor was Miss M. Couzens, daughter of James J. Couzens, Detroit was commissioned on 31 July 1923, with Captain J. Halligan, Jr. in command. Detroit was 550 feet long at the waterline with a length of 555 feet 6 inches, her beam was 55 feet 4 inches. Her standard displacement was 7,050 long tons and 9,508 long tons at full load and her crew, during peace time, consisted of 29 officers and 429 enlisted men. Detroit was powered by four Curtis steam turbines geared steam turbines, each driving one screw, the engines were designed to produce 90,000 indicated horsepower and reach a top speed of 35 knots. Originally she was to mount ten 6 in /53 caliber guns, two on either side at the waist, with the remaining eight mounted in tiered casemates on either side of the fore and her secondary armament consisted of two 3 in /50 caliber anti-aircraft guns in single mounts. Detroit was initially built with the capacity to carry 224 mines and she also carried two triple and two twin, above-water, torpedo tube mounts for 21 inches torpedoes. The triple mounts were fitted on either side of the deck, aft of the aircraft catapults. The ship lacked a full-length waterline armor belt, the sides of her boiler and engine rooms and steering gear were protected by 3 inches of armor. The transverse bulkheads at the end of her rooms were 1.5 inches thick forward. The deck over the spaces and steering gear had a thickness of 1.5 inches. The gun turrets were not armored and only provided protection against muzzle blast, Detroit carried two floatplanes aboard that were stored on the two catapults. During her career Detroit went through several armament changes, some of changes were save weight. The lower torpedo tube proved to be very wet and were removed

43.
USS Duluth (CL-87)
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USS Duluth was a United States Navy Cleveland-class light cruiser. US Naval Academy class of 1920, in command, from 14 December 1944 to 2 March 1945, Duluth served as a training cruiser at Newport, Rhode Island. After brief overhaul at Norfolk, she sailed 7 April for the Pacific, on 8 May, she got underway to join the 5th Fleet and rendezvoused with the fast carriers on 27 May. On 1 October, Duluth sailed for the United States, arriving at Seattle 19 October for Navy Day celebrations. Based at San Pedro, California, Duluth served a tour of duty in the Far East between 3 January and 27 September 1946, and on 24 February 1947 sailed for a visit at Pearl Harbor. Between May and July, she visited Melbourne and Sydney, Australia, Truk, Guam, and Manila. She served again in the Far East, patrolling the China coast, between 22 September 1947 and 19 May 1948, when she returned to her new port, Long Beach. She carried NROTC midshipmen on a cruise to British Columbia in the summer of 1948. She was placed out of commission in reserve 25 June 1949, Duluth received two battle stars for World War II service. This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, the entry can be found here. Navy photographs of Duluth history. navy. mil, USS Duluth Photo gallery of USS Duluth at NavSource Naval History hazegray. org, USS Duluth

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USS Fargo (CL-85)
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USS Langley was an 11, 000-ton Independence-class light aircraft carrier that served the United States Navy from 1943 to 1947, and French Navy as the La Fayette from 1951 to 1963. Named for Samuel Pierpont Langley, American scientist and aviation pioneer, cVL-27 carried on the name and tradition of USS Langley, the first US Navy aircraft carrier, which had been sunk on 27 Feb 1942. Langley was built at Camden, New Jersey, commissioned in August 1943, Langley went to the Pacific late in the year and entered combat in World War II during the Marshall Islands operation in January–February 1944. During the next four months, her planes attacked Japanese positions in the central Pacific, in June 1944, she took part in the assault on the Marianas and in the Battle of the Philippine Sea. Langley continued her war role through the rest of 1944, participating in the Palaus Operation, raids on the Philippines, Formosa and the Ryukyus, and the Battle of Leyte Gulf. In January–February 1945, she was part of the Third Fleets foray into the South China Sea, the first massed carrier attacks on the Japanese Home Islands, more combat activity followed in March–May, as Langleys planes again hit targets in Japan and supported the Okinawa operation. Overhauled in the U. S. in June and July, following service transporting Pacific veterans home, Langley went to the Atlantic Ocean, where she carried out similar missions in November 1945 – January 1946. Inactive at Philadelphia during the remainder of 1946, the carrier was decommissioned there in February 1947, Langley was taken out of mothballs early in 1951, refurbished and transferred to France under the Mutual Defense Assistance Program. After more than a decade of French Navy service as La Fayette, the original version of this article based on US Navy public domain text. This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, the entry can be found here. Navsource. org, USS Langley hazegray. org, USS Langley USS Langley at Nine Sisters Light Carrier Historical Documentary Project

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USS Fargo (CL-106)
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USS Fargo, named after the city of Fargo, North Dakota, was the lead ship of her class of light cruisers of the United States Navy, most of which were canceled due to the end of World War II. The cruiser was launched 25 February 1945 by New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey, sponsored by Mrs. F. O. Olsen, and commissioned 9 December 1945, Captain Wyatt Craig in command. Through her remaining two years of service, Fargo completed two tours of duty in the Mediterranean, and twice joined in large scale exercises in the Caribbean. A large model of the USS Fargo was on display at the branch of the Fargo Public Library for many years. The model was moved to the Cass County Historical Society at Bonanzaville before being moved to the Fargo air, hull CL-85 was to be named Fargo, but was converted to Langley, an Independence-class light aircraft carrier, during construction. This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, the entry can be found here. Photo gallery of USS Fargo at NavSource Naval History hazegray. org, USS Fargo

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USS Flint (CL-97)
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USS Flint was a modified Atlanta-class light cruiser, sometimes referred to as an Oakland-class. She was named after the city of Flint, Michigan and she was launched on 25 January 1944 by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation of San Francisco, California, sponsored by Mrs. R. A. Pitcher. She was and commissioned on 31 August 1944, with Captain C. R and she was reclassified CLAA-97 on 18 March 1949. Flint reported to the 3rd Fleet for duty at Ulithi on 27 December 1944 and she screened aircraft carriers as they launched strikes on Luzon, Taiwan, and the China coast, and fired protective anti-aircraft cover during a Japanese kamikaze attack on 21 January 1945. Replenishing at Ulithi from 26 January to 10 February, Flint then sailed with newly designated TF38 for air strikes on Tokyo preceding the attack on Iwo Jima. Putting to sea with TF58 for strikes against Kyūshū in preparation for the invasion of Okinawa, the task force then closed Okinawa, and Flint with other cruisers bombarded beach installations in preparation for the landings on 1 April. Aside from the period of 14–24 May, when she was at Ulithi for upkeep, Flint operated off Okinawa until 13 June, when she anchored in Leyte Gulf. Flint sortied from Leyte on 1 July to screen the final air attacks on the Japanese home islands, on 24 August, she took station off Nii Shima to serve as rescue ship and homing station for transport planes carrying occupation troops to Japan. From 10 to 15 September, she lay in Tokyo Bay, then sailed with a task force to provide air. The cruiser made a voyage from Japan to Eniwetok, then loaded homeward bound servicemen at Yokosuka on 13 October and her dedication plaque currently rests in the Sloan Museum, in the city she is named after. Flint received four stars for World War II service. This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, the entry can be found here. Photo gallery of USS Flint at NavSource Naval History

47.
USS Guam (CB-2)
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USS Guam was an Alaska-class large cruiser which served with the United States Navy during the end of World War II. She was the second and last ship of her class to be completed, the ship was the second vessel of the US Navy to be named after the island of Guam, an American territory in the Pacific. Due to her late in the war, Guam saw relatively limited service during the war. She participated in operations off Okinawa in March–July 1945, including providing anti-aircraft defense for the task force. She participated in sweeps for Japanese shipping in the East China, after the end of the war, she assisted in the occupation of Korea and transported a contingent of US Army troops back to the United States. She was decommissioned in February 1947 and placed in reserve, where she remained until she was stricken in 1960, the ship was 808 feet 6 inches long overall and had a beam of 91 ft 1 in and a draft of 31 ft 10 in. She displaced 29,779 long tons as designed and up to 34,253 long tons at combat load. The ship had a range of 12,000 nautical miles at a speed of 15 kn. She carried four floatplanes, housed in two hangars, with a pair of aircraft catapults mounted amidships. The ship was armed with a battery of nine 12 inch L/50 Mark 8 guns in three triple gun turrets, two in a superfiring pair forward and one aft of the superstructure. The secondary battery consisted of twelve 5-inch L/38 dual-purpose guns in six twin turrets, Two were placed on the centerline superfiring over the main battery turrets, fore and aft, and the remaining four turrets were placed on the corners of the superstructure. The light anti-aircraft battery consisted of 56 quad-mounted 40 mm Bofors guns and 34 single-mounted 20 mm Oerlikon guns. A pair of Mk 34 gun directors aided gunlaying for the main battery, the main armored belt was 9 in thick, while the gun turrets had 12.8 in thick faces. The main armored deck was 4 in thick, Guam was authorized under the Fleet Expansion Act on 19 July 1940, and ordered on 9 September. She was laid down on 2 February 1942 at the New York Shipbuilding in Camden and she was launched on 12 November 1943, after which fitting-out work was effected. The ship was completed by September 1944, and she was commissioned into the US Navy on 17 September, under the command of Captain Leland Lovette and she cost the US Navy $67,053,828 at her completion. Guam left Philadelphia on 17 January 1945, after completing her shakedown cruise off Trinidad and she proceeded through the Panama Canal to join the United States Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbor, which she reached on 8 February. While there, Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal visited the ship, on 3 March, she departed Hawaii for Ulithi, where she joined her sister Alaska on 13 March

48.
USS Helena (CL-50)
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USS Helena was a St. Louis-class light cruiser of the United States Navy. Completed shortly before World War II, she was damaged in the attack on Pearl Harbor and she was sunk by three surface-fired torpedoes at the battle of Kula Gulf in 1943. She was one of three U. S. light cruisers to be sunk during the war, in November 1942, Helena became the first US Navy ship to be awarded the Navy Unit Commendation medal. Four United States Naval vessels have carried the name of Helena, as of October 2015 The first ship was the gunboat Helena, in service from 1896 to 1932. She saw action in Cuban waters during the Spanish–American War and later joined the Asiatic squadron for the Philippine Insurrection and was part of the Yangtze, the second ship of the name was Helena, a light cruiser in service from 1939 to 1943. Damaged at Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, she sailed again to action at Guadalcanal, Savo Island, and Cape Esperance where she sank a Japanese cruiser and she was lost in Kula Gulf in 1943 with 165 of her crew. Her survivors call her the ship that went in harms way. In late 1944, war bonds raised in Montana were used to purchase the ship to carry the name Helena. She was launched 28 April 1945 and commissioned on 4 September 1945 and she saw distinguished service in European and Chinese waters and combat service in Korea. During that time, the Helena served as flagship of the US Pacific Fleet and she became flagship of the First Fleet in 1961. Until her decommissioning on 29 June 1963, her crew gave financial assistance to disabled children in Helena and she was sold for scrap in 1974. Her brass propeller and some chains were procured by the City of Helena. The fourth and newest Helena, Helena, is a Los Angeles-class nuclear submarine and she was built at the Electric Boat Company in Groton, Connecticut in 1986 and commissioned in 1987. Assigned to the Pacific Fleet, she serves as a potent part of Americas defense capability, Helenas insignia depicts the citys iconic fire tower. The St. Louis-class cruisers were a two ship class consisting of St. Louis and Helena, the United States did not favor this outcome, being of the opinion that the heavier-gunned ships more suited its needs in the Pacific. Brooklyn-class designs started in 1930, with the first four ships of the class ordered in 1933, various combinations of armor and power plants were tried in the efforts to stay below the Treatys 10,000 ton limit. The General Naval Board, in questioning 1935 changes to the London Naval Treaty, the St. Louis class had newer and improved higher-pressure boilers, and the boiler arrangement used the unit system of alternating boiler and engine rooms. This was to prevent a ship from being immobilized by an unlucky hit

49.
USS Honolulu (CL-48)
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USS Honolulu of the United States Navy was a Brooklyn-class light cruiser active in the Pacific War. Honolulu was launched in 1937 and commissioned in 1938, the ship served in the Battle of Tassafaronga, the Battle of Kula Gulf, the Battle of Kolombangara and the Battle of Peleliu. She was taken out of action by serious torpedo damage just before the Battle of Leyte Gulf and she was repaired, but did not return to the Pacific war. She was decommissioned in 1947 and was held in reserve until she was scrapped in 1959, after a shakedown cruise to England, Honolulu engaged in fleet problems and exercises in the Caribbean Sea. She steamed from New York on 24 May 1939 to join the Pacific Fleet, arriving at San Pedro, for the remainder of the year, she engaged in exercises along the West Coast. She operated there through 1941, and she was moored at the Naval Station when the Japanese launched their attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, Honolulu suffered only minor hull damage from a near miss. Following repairs, she sailed on 12 January 1942 to escort a convoy to San Francisco, California, the cruiser continued convoy escort duty to Australia, Samoa, and the United States until late May. With the Japanese pushing north towards Alaska, Honolulu departed on 29 May to strengthen forces in that area, after two months of continuous operations out of Kodiak, Alaska, she proceeded to Kiska in the Aleutian Islands on 7 August, to begin bombardment of the island. On 21 August, she screened the first American landings in the Aleutians at Adak Island, after shipyard work at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Honolulu departed from San Francisco on 3 November 1942, escorting a convoy to Noumea in the South Pacific. Later that month, Honolulu sailed from Espiritu Santo in the New Hebrides Islands to intercept a Japanese Navy convoy attempting to reinforce their positions on Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands, the Battle of Tassafaronga began shortly before midnight on 30 November, continuing through the night. One Japanese destroyer was sunk by American cruiser gunfire, but four cruisers were hit by Japanese torpedoes, with one of the cruisers, Northampton, Honolulu escaped serious damage in this notable Japanese victory that had very little impact on the fighting on Guadalcanal. Honolulu operated out of Espiritu Santo in early 1943 with Task Force 67 in an attempt to engage the Tokyo Express, during May, she engaged in bombardments of New Georgia in the Solomons. Honolulu departed from Espiritu Santo on 28 June for more bombardments in the Solomons, after supporting the landings on New Georgia Island on 4 July, she opened fire on enemy ships in the Battle of Kula Gulf, knocking out one destroyer and assisting in the destruction of others. The battle-proven cruiser had another opportunity to confront the Japanese fleet on 13 July, shortly after midnight, contact was made with an enemy cruiser-destroyer force in The Slot. At 0110, Honolulu opened fire on a Sendai-class cruiser, after three salvos, the target burst into flame and was soon dead in the water. Honolulu shifted fire to a destroyer, which was immediately hit. At 0211, a torpedo struck the side of Honolulu. The task force retired to Tulagi for temporary repairs

50.
USS Houston (CA-30)
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USS Houston, was a Northampton-class cruiser of the United States Navy. She was the second Navy ship to bear the name Houston, the ship was originally classified as a light cruiser because of her thin armor. Houston was redesignated a cruiser on 1 July 1931, as the provisions of the 1930 London Naval Treaty considered ships with 8-inch main guns to be heavy cruisers. After conducting a shakedown cruise in the Atlantic, Houston returned to the United States in October 1930 and she then visited her namesake city, and joined the fleet at Hampton Roads. Steaming to New York, the departed on 10 January 1931 for the Pacific, and after stopping at the Panama Canal. Houston became flagship of the Asiatic Fleet upon arrival, and for the year participated in training operations in the Far East. With the outbreak of war between China and Japan in 1931, Houston got underway on 31 January for Shanghai to protect American interests. The cruiser sailed to San Francisco to join the Scouting Force, during this period, Houston made several special cruises. President Franklin Roosevelt came aboard on 1 July 1934 at Annapolis, Maryland, for a cruise of almost 12,000 nautical miles through the Caribbean and to Portland, Oregon, by way of Hawaii. Houston also carried Assistant Secretary of the Navy Henry L. Roosevelt on a tour of the Hawaiian Islands, returning to San Diego on 15 May 1935. Houston also celebrated the opening of the Golden Gate Bridge at San Francisco on 28 May 1937, roosevelts 24-day cruise aboard Houston concluded on 9 August 1938 at Pensacola, Florida. Houston became flagship of the U. S, Fleet on 19 September, when Rear Admiral Claude C. Bloch brought his flag aboard, and maintained that status until 28 December, when she returned to the Scouting Force. Leahy, for the duration of the problem and she arrived in Houston on 7 April for a brief visit before returning to Seattle, where she arrived on 30 May. Sailing to Hawaii, she departed for the Philippine Islands on 3 November, arriving at Manila on 19 November, she became the flagship of Admiral Thomas C. As the war deepened, Admiral Hart deployed his fleet in readiness. On the night of the Pearl Harbor attack, Houston got underway from Panay Island with fleet units bound for Darwin, Australia, after patrol duty, she joined the American-British-Dutch-Australian naval force at Surabaya. Houston took one hit, disabling the number three turret, and the cruiser USS Marblehead was so damaged that she had to be sent out of the battle area, Doorman was forced to abandon his advance. Houston arrived at Tjilatjap 5 February and stayed until 10 February, by eleven in the morning, the convoy was being shadowed by a Japanese flying boat that dropped some bombs without causing damage before departing

Cruiser
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A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundred years, and has had different meanings throughout this period. In the middle of the 19th century, cruiser came to be a classification for the intended for cruising distant waters, commerce raiding. Cruisers came in a variety of sizes, from the medium-sized protected cruiser

4.
HMS Caroline, a World War I era light cruiser, served as a headquarters and training vessel in Belfast until 2011.

United States
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Forty-eight of the fifty states and the federal district are contiguous and located in North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east, the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U. S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean,

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Native Americans meeting with Europeans, 1764

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Flag

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The signing of the Mayflower Compact, 1620.

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The Declaration of Independence: the Committee of Five presenting their draft to the Second Continental Congress in 1776

Alaska-class cruiser
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The Alaska class was a class of six large cruisers ordered before World War II for the United States Navy. They were officially classed as large cruisers, but others have regarded them as battlecruisers and they were all named after territories or insular areas of the United States, signifying their intermediate status between larger battleships an

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Alaska being launched on 15 August 1943

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Guam during her shakedown cruise on 13 November 1944

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The Iowa -class battleship Missouri (top) and Alaska moored at the same pier, showing their difference in size

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Guam firing her main battery during a training session sometime in 1944–1945.

Atlanta-class cruiser
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They were also known as the Atlanta-Oakland class. The four Oakland and later ships had different armament as they were further optimized for anti-aircraft fire. The Atlanta class had 12 x 5-inch /38 caliber guns, mounted in three superfiring sets of two-gun turrets fore and three more aft, the Atlanta class saw heavy action during World War II, co

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USS Atlanta (CL-51)

Baltimore-class cruiser
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The Baltimore-class cruiser was a large class of heavy cruisers in the United States Navy commissioned during or shortly after World War II. Fourteen Baltimores were completed, more than any class of heavy cruiser. Fast and heavily armed, the Baltimore cruisers were used in World War II to protect the fast aircraft carriers in battle groups from ai

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USS Baltimore (CA-68)

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USS Bremerton in drydock

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USS Baltimore during her reactivation

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USS Pittsburgh with her bow ripped off

Brooklyn-class cruiser
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The Brooklyn-class cruisers were seven light cruisers of the United States Navy that served during World War II. Armed with 5 triple turrets mounting 6-inch guns, they and their two sisters of the St. Louis-class mounted more heavy-caliber guns than any other US cruisers. The Brooklyns were all commissioned during 1937 and 1938 in the time between

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USS Brooklyn (CL-40)

Cleveland-class cruiser
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The Cleveland class was a group of light cruisers built for the U. S. Navy during World War II, and were the most numerous class of light cruisers ever built. The Clevland-class was a development of the preceding Brooklyn-class, the ships were designed with the goal of increased cruising range, anti-aircraft armament, torpedo protection, etc. compa

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USS Cleveland at sea in 1942

Fargo-class cruiser
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The same type of modification differentiated the Baltimore and Oregon City classes of heavy cruisers. Changes were made to order to reduce the instability of the Cleveland-class light cruisers, the main battery turrets sat about a foot lower and the wing gunhouses were lowered to the main deck. The medium anti-aircraft mounts were also lowered, in

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USS Fargo (CL-106)

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v

Juneau-class cruiser
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The Juneau-class cruisers were United States Navy light cruisers which were modified version of the Atlanta-class cruiser design. Three ships were ordered and built, all completed shortly after World War II, watertight integrity was improved by removing doors on the lowest decks of the ship between bulkheads. In addition, all the armament was remov

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USS Juneau (CL-119)

New Orleans-class cruiser
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The New Orleans-class cruisers were a class of seven heavy cruisers built for the United States Navy in the 1930s. Originally called the Astoria-class cruiser, the class was renamed after Astoria was sunk and these ships participated in the heaviest surface battles of the Pacific War. Astoria, Quincy, and Vincennes were all sunk in the Battle of Sa

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USS New Orleans (CA-32)

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1943 ONI identification image for the New Orleans -class.

Northampton-class cruiser
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The Northampton-class cruisers were a group of six heavy cruisers built for the United States Navy, and commissioned between 1928 and 1931. The Northamptons saw much action in World War II, three were lost during the war. The other three were decommissioned soon after the end of the war, and scrapped in 1959–1961. The design of the ships was heavil

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USS Northampton (CA-26)

Omaha-class cruiser
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The Omaha-class cruisers were a class of light cruisers built for the United States Navy. The oldest class of cruiser still in service with the Navy at the outbreak of World War II, the Omaha class was an immediate post-World War I design. Built to scout for a fleet of battleships, the Omaha class featured high speed for cooperation with destroyers

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USS Milwaukee (CL-5), an Omaha -class cruiser.

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1942 ship recognition chart for the Omaha class

Pensacola-class cruiser
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In an effort to remain within treaty limits, while still mounting a very heavy main battery of ten 8 guns, the hull was of welded construction, and the armor belt was thin. This was inadequate to protect her vitals from enemy 8 shells and was no thicker than the armor on 6 gun cruisers, all guns in each turret were mounted in a single slide, and we

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USS Pensacola (CA-24)

Portland-class cruiser
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The Portland class of heavy cruisers was a class of ships designed and constructed by the United States Navy in 1930. The two ships of the class, Portland and Indianapolis, saw service during the Pacific War in World War II. Designed as a modification over the previous Northampton-class cruiser, the Portland class displaced just under 10,000 long t

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USS Indianapolis (CA-35) in 1945

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Portland in drydock in Sydney, Australia in 1942

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Portland off California in 1944

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Indianapolis off Pearl Harbor in 1937

St. Louis-class cruiser (1938)
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The St. Louis class light cruisers were a pair of warships that served in the US Navy during World War II. They were the first US cruisers to be armed with twin five-inch 38-caliber guns and they could be distinguished visually from the Brooklyns by the placement of the after deckhouse, immediately abaft the second funnel, and by the twin 5 mounts.

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USS St. Louis (CL-49)

USS Alaska (CB-1)
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USS Alaska was the lead ship of the Alaska class of large cruisers which served with the United States Navy during the end of World War II. She was the first of two ships of her class to be completed, followed only by Guam, four ships were ordered but were not completed before the end of the war. Alaska was the vessel of the US Navy to be named aft

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History

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Norfolk Naval Base, circa August 1944. Among them are: Missouri, the largest ship; Alaska, on the other side of the pier; the aircraft carrier Croatan, and destroyers of the Fletcher and "Clemson/Wickes" classes at the next pier.

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Alaska underway

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Reserve fleet in Bayonne; the two large ships at right are Alaska and Guam.

USS Amsterdam (CL-59)
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USS Independence was a United States Navy light aircraft carrier, lead ship of her class and served during the Second World War. Converted from the hull of a cruiser, she was built by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation and she took part in the attacks on Rabaul and Tarawa before being torpedoed by Japanese aircraft, necessitating repairs in San

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USS Independence is on fire aft following the Operation Crossroads shot Able atomic bomb test, 1 July 1946

USS Amsterdam (CL-101)
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USS Amsterdam was a United States Navy Cleveland-class light cruiser, the last of the class to see action in World War II. After final fitting out at Norfolk, Virginia, the cruiser got underway on 5 February for shakedown training in the Chesapeake Bay, on 17 February, she stood out from Hampton Roads and headed south for Trinidad and the second ph

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USS Amsterdam (CL-101), flying a large ensign at the fore, arrives off the Naval Air Station at Astoria, Oregon 14 October 1945. Note the ship's two-tone color scheme and Curtiss SC1 "Seahawk" floatplanes, aft.

USS Astoria (CA-34)
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Early in 1943, after Astoria had been sunk, the remaining ships of this class were refit and reclassified. In doing so the ships took on a new appearance, most notably in the bridge, Astoria was laid down on 1 September 1930 at the Puget Sound Navy Yard. Such ships, with a limit of 10,000 tons standard displacement, originally classified a light cr

USS Astoria (CL-90)
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The third USS Astoria was a Cleveland-class light cruiser of the United States Navy. The ship was laid down on 6 September 1941 at William Cramp & Sons Shipbuilding Company, Philadelphia and it was subsequently renamed to Astoria in honor of the heavy cruiser Astoria which was sunk on 9 August 1942 during the Battle of Savo Island. Astoria was laun

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History

USS Atlanta (CL-51)
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USS Atlanta of the United States Navy was the lead ship of the Atlanta-class of 8 light cruisers. She was the third Navy ship named after the city of Atlanta, designed to provide anti-aircraft protection for US naval task groups, Atlanta served in this capacity in the naval battles Midway and the Eastern Solomons. Atlanta was heavily damaged by Jap

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USS Atlanta (CL 51), steaming at high speed, probably during her trials, circa November 1941.

USS Atlanta (CL-104)
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USS Atlanta of the United States Navy was a Cleveland-class light cruiser during World War II. She was the fourth Navy ship named after the city of Atlanta, after commissioning the light cruiser got underway on 5 January 1945 for shakedown training in the Chesapeake Bay and the Caribbean. Upon the completion of those exercises, Atlanta arrived at N

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History

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Operation "Sailor Hat". Detonation of the 500-ton TNT explosive charge for Shot "Bravo", first of a series of three test explosions on the southwestern tip of Kahoolawe Island, Hawaii, 6 February 1965

USS Augusta (CA-31)
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She was named after Augusta, Georgia, and was sponsored by Miss Evelyn McDaniel of that city. Originally classified as a cruiser, CL-31, because of her thin armor. Effective 1 July 1931, Augusta was redesignated a cruiser, CA-31. During the summer of 1931, she operated with the warships of Scouting Force. In September, Augusta moved south to Chesap

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USS Augusta (CA-31), steaming off Portland, Maine, on 9 May 1945.

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FDR and Churchill on Augusta

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Senior officers aboard Augusta during the Normandy Invasion. General Omar Bradley is the second man from the left.

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President Harry S. Truman tours Augusta, the ship that will take him to Europe to attend the Potsdam Conference in Germany. He and Commander C. L. Freeman are in the wardroom. (National Archives and Records Administration)

USS Baltimore (CA-68)
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Between November 1943 and June 1944 Baltimore was a unit of the fire support and covering forces at the Makin Islands landings, Kwajalein invasion, and the Truk raid and Eniwetok seizure. Returning to the United States in July 1944, she embarked President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his party, after meeting with Admiral Chester Nimitz and General Dou

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History

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Baltimore being dismantled at Zidell shipbreaking yard in September 1972.

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North Korean propaganda poster claiming to have sunk Baltimore.

USS Biloxi (CL-80)
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USS Biloxi was a United States Navy Cleveland-class light cruiser, the first ship named after the city of Biloxi, Mississippi. She was commissioned at the Norfolk Navy Yard on 31 August 1943, the light cruiser fitted out at Norfolk until 17 September when she began shakedown training in Chesapeake Bay. This included aircraft launch and recovery dri

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USS Biloxi in 1943

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Biloxi ‍ '​s stern with SO3Cs, 1943

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Biloxi firing 6 inch guns during shakedown, 1943

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A Curtiss SO3C is catapulted from Biloxi in 1943

USS Birmingham (CL-62)
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She was commissioned on 29 January 1943, Captain John Wilkes in command. Birmingham was one of the fightingest ships of the Navy and suffered damage on at least three occasions. Following her shakedown cruise, Birmingham was assigned to the Atlantic Fleet, departing Norfolk, Virginia on 2 June, she steamed to the Mediterranean and gave gunfire supp

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History

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Birmingham alongside the burning Princeton during the Battle of Leyte Gulf on 24 October 1944

USS Boise (CL-47)
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USS Boise was a light cruiser of the Brooklyn class in the United States Navy. The cruiser was named for Boise, the city of the state of Idaho. Commissioned in 1938, she saw service during World War II, taking part in fighting in the Mediterranean. Following the war the ship was decommissioned in 1946 and lay idle until sold to Argentina in 1951, r

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USS Boise (CL-47), during trials, 7 July 1938.

USS Boston (CA-69)
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USS Boston, a Baltimore-class heavy cruiser, was the sixth ship of the United States Navy to be named for the U. S. city of Boston, Massachusetts. Boston reported to the Pacific Fleet, arriving at Pearl Harbor 6 December 1943 and she joined Task Force 58 in January and took part in the raids on the Marshall Islands in support of the invasions of Kw

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USS Boston (as CAG-1)

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Badge:

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USS Boston firing a Terrier guided missile, August 1956.

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Bell of the ship at the Boston Navy Yard

USS Brooklyn (CL-40)
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USS Brooklyn was a light cruiser, the lead ship of her class of seven, and the third United States Navy ship to bear its name. Commissioned in 1937, she served in the Atlantic during World War II, as a convoy escort, decommissioned in 1947, she was transferred to the Chilean Navy in 1951, where she served for another 40 years. She sank under tow to

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USS Brooklyn (CL-40), in the Hudson River off New York City, 1939. The Palisades Amusement Park is in the center background.

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O'Higgins (CL-02)

USS Buffalo (CL-99)
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The vessel that eventually became the light aircraft carrier Bataan was originally planned as the Cleveland-class light cruiser Buffalo. Following the December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, the need for more carriers became urgent, in response, the Navy ordered the conversion of nine Cleveland-class light cruiser then under construction to completio

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USS Bataan preparing for her second Korean War deployment

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Captain Valentine H. Schaeffer, USN, the carrier's Commanding Officer, cuts the cake at a reception following her commissioning ceremonies, at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 17 November 1943. Looking on are Philippine Commonwealth Vice President Sergio Osmeña and Miss Rosie Osmeña.

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Battan headed for home the final time on 22 May 1953

USS Canberra
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USS Canberra was a Baltimore-class cruiser and later a Boston-class guided missile cruiser of the United States Navy. Originally to be named USS Pittsburgh, the ship was renamed before launch to honor the loss of the Australian cruiser HMAS Canberra during the Battle of Savo Island, USS Canberra is the only USN warship named for a foreign warship o

USS Chester (CA-27)
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USS Chester, a Northampton-class cruiser, was the second ship of the United States Navy named after the city of Chester, Pennsylvania. Chester cleared Newport, Rhode Island on 13 August 1930 for an extensive European cruise and she visited Barcelona, Naples, Constantinople, Phaleron Bay, and Gibraltar before returning to Chester, Pennsylvania, for

USS Chicago (CA-29)
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USS Chicago was a Northampton-class cruiser of the United States Navy that served in the Pacific Theater in the early years of World War II. She was the second US Navy ship to be named after the city of Chicago, Chicago was launched on 10 April 1930 by Mare Island Naval Shipyard, sponsored by Miss E. Britten, and commissioned on 9 March 1931, Capta

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USS Chicago (CA-29), underway off New York City, during the fleet review on 31 May 1934.

USS Chicago (CA-136)
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USS Chicago was a Baltimore-class heavy cruiser laid down on 28 July 1943 at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US, by the Philadelphia Navy Yard. Chicago spent her first six weeks preparing for sea duty before departing on 26 February for Norfolk, after conducting training exercises, and calibrated her compasses in Chesapeake Bay, the cruiser got underwa

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USS Chicago underway in the Pacific Ocean as CG-11

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Badge:

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Chicago in May 1945.

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Chicago during her commissioning ceremony in San Francisco in 1964, following her massive, five-year rebuild as a guided missile cruiser

USS Cincinnati (CL-6)
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USS Cincinnati, was the third Omaha-class light cruiser, originally classified as a scout cruiser, built for the United States Navy. She was also the third Navy ship named for the city of Cincinnati and she split her pre-war career between the Atlantic and the Pacific Fleets. She served in the Scouting Fleet, based in the Atlantic, in 1924–1927, Ci

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USS Cincinnati (CL-6), at anchor in New York Harbor, 22 March 1944.

USS Cleveland (CL-55)
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USS Cleveland was the lead ship and one of the 28 United States Navy Cleveland-class light cruisers completed during or shortly after World War II. She was the ship to be named for the city of Cleveland. Cleveland was commissioned in June 1942, and saw service in the war. Like almost all of her ships, she was decommissioned shortly after the end of

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USS Cleveland (CL-55)

USS Columbia (CL-56)
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USS Columbia was one of 26 United States Navy Cleveland-class light cruisers completed during or shortly after World War II. The ship, the sixth US Navy ship to bear the name, was named for the city of Columbia, Columbia was commissioned in July 1942, and saw service in several campaigns in the Pacific. Like almost all her ships, she was decommissi

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USS Columbia (CL-56) in 1945

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Columbia is attacked by a kamikaze off Lingayen Gulf, 6 January 1945

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The kamikaze hits Columbia at 1729. The plane and its bomb penetrated two decks before exploding, killing 13 and wounding 44.

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Pennsylvania leading Colorado, Louisville, Portland, and Columbia into Lingayen Gulf in January 1945

USS Concord (CL-10)
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USS Concord was an Omaha-class light cruiser, originally classified as a scout cruiser, of the United States Navy. She was the fourth Navy ship named for the town of Concord, Massachusetts and she spent the first nine years of her career in the Atlantic as part of the Scouting Force. Concord transferred to the Pacific in 1932 and spent the rest of

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Letter from Admiral Byrd to Commanding Officer, USS Concord, commemorating the loss of 24 men during the special mission, September–November 1943

USS Dayton (CL-78)
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USS Monterey was an Independence-class light aircraft carrier of the United States Navy, in service during World War II and used in training for several years thereafter. Bellinger, and commissioned on 17 June 1943, Captain Lestor T. Hundt in command and it was the third US Navy vessel to be named after the Battle of Monterey. Former U. S. Presiden

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USS Monterey underway in the Gulf of Mexico

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Monterey in 1944

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The Gunnery officers of the USS Monterey. Gerald R. Ford is second from the right, in the front row.

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Navy pilots in forward elevator well playing basketball. Jumper at left is Gerald R. Ford, mid-1944

USS Dayton (CL-105)
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USS Dayton was a Cleveland-class light cruiser of the United States Navy. The ship was named after the city of Dayton, Ohio, the ship was launched 19 March 1944 by New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey, sponsored by Mrs. H. Rueger, and commissioned 7 January 1945, Captain Paul William Steinhagen in command. Construction for Dayton w

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History

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USS Dayton launching

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Capt P. W. Steinhagen and Executive Officers

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USS Dayton in Naples, fall 1947

USS Denver (CL-58)
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USS Denver was a Cleveland-class light cruiser. Denver launched on 4 April 1942 by New York Shipbuilding Corp, camden, New Jersey, sponsored by Miss L. J. Stapleton, daughter of the Mayor of Denver, and commissioned on 15 October 1942, Captain Robert Carney in command. It was the ship named for the city of Denver. Denver sailed from Philadelphia on

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History

USS Detroit (CL-8)
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USS Detroit was an Omaha-class light cruiser, originally classified as a scout cruiser, of the United States Navy. She was the fourth Navy ship named for the city of Detroit and she spent her first eight years as part of the Scouting Fleet either in the Atlantic or Mediterranean. Her first duty was to assist in the USAASs first aerial circumnavigat

USS Duluth (CL-87)
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USS Duluth was a United States Navy Cleveland-class light cruiser. US Naval Academy class of 1920, in command, from 14 December 1944 to 2 March 1945, Duluth served as a training cruiser at Newport, Rhode Island. After brief overhaul at Norfolk, she sailed 7 April for the Pacific, on 8 May, she got underway to join the 5th Fleet and rendezvoused wit

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History

USS Fargo (CL-85)
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USS Langley was an 11, 000-ton Independence-class light aircraft carrier that served the United States Navy from 1943 to 1947, and French Navy as the La Fayette from 1951 to 1963. Named for Samuel Pierpont Langley, American scientist and aviation pioneer, cVL-27 carried on the name and tradition of USS Langley, the first US Navy aircraft carrier, w

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USS Langley

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The Langley leads Task Group 38.3 into Ulithi anchorage.

USS Fargo (CL-106)
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USS Fargo, named after the city of Fargo, North Dakota, was the lead ship of her class of light cruisers of the United States Navy, most of which were canceled due to the end of World War II. The cruiser was launched 25 February 1945 by New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey, sponsored by Mrs. F. O. Olsen, and commissioned 9 December

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History

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USS Fargo at Venice in 1949.

USS Flint (CL-97)
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USS Flint was a modified Atlanta-class light cruiser, sometimes referred to as an Oakland-class. She was named after the city of Flint, Michigan and she was launched on 25 January 1944 by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation of San Francisco, California, sponsored by Mrs. R. A. Pitcher. She was and commissioned on 31 August 1944, with Captain C. R an

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USS Flint (CL-97)

USS Guam (CB-2)
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USS Guam was an Alaska-class large cruiser which served with the United States Navy during the end of World War II. She was the second and last ship of her class to be completed, the ship was the second vessel of the US Navy to be named after the island of Guam, an American territory in the Pacific. Due to her late in the war, Guam saw relatively l

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USS Guam in 1944

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Guam ‍ '​s main battery firing during gunnery practice

USS Helena (CL-50)
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USS Helena was a St. Louis-class light cruiser of the United States Navy. Completed shortly before World War II, she was damaged in the attack on Pearl Harbor and she was sunk by three surface-fired torpedoes at the battle of Kula Gulf in 1943. She was one of three U. S. light cruisers to be sunk during the war, in November 1942, Helena became the

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(note: radar antennas have been brushed out by censors. Below is a drawing of top and side view.)

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U.S. government war bond poster depicting USS Helena (CL-50), lost on 6 6 July 1943 during the Battle of Kula Gulf

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The hull, looking forward to the bow, on 24 June 1937

USS Honolulu (CL-48)
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USS Honolulu of the United States Navy was a Brooklyn-class light cruiser active in the Pacific War. Honolulu was launched in 1937 and commissioned in 1938, the ship served in the Battle of Tassafaronga, the Battle of Kula Gulf, the Battle of Kolombangara and the Battle of Peleliu. She was taken out of action by serious torpedo damage just before t

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USS Honolulu (CL-48), underway at sea, 9 February 1939.

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Honolulu retires towards Tulagi after the Battle of Kula Gulf

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Honolulu ‍ '​s collapsed bow, 20 July 1943, after she was torpedoed at the battle of Kolombangara

USS Houston (CA-30)
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USS Houston, was a Northampton-class cruiser of the United States Navy. She was the second Navy ship to bear the name Houston, the ship was originally classified as a light cruiser because of her thin armor. Houston was redesignated a cruiser on 1 July 1931, as the provisions of the 1930 London Naval Treaty considered ships with 8-inch main guns to

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USS Houston (CA 30), off San Diego, California, in October 1935, with President Franklin D. Roosevelt on board. She is flying an admiral's four-star flag at her foremast peak, and the Presidential flag at her mainmast peak.

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USS New Orleans (CA-32), steams through a tight turn in Elliott Bay, Washington, on 30 July 1943, following battle damage repairs and overhaul at the Puget Sound Navy Yard.

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Salt Lake City, Pensacola and New Orleans (L to R) at Pearl Harbor in 1943

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New Orleans with torpedo damage in Tulagi Harbor on 1 December 1942 after The Battle of Tassafaronga.

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Damage to New Orleans with everything ahead of Turret No. 2 missing after being hit by a single torpedo which exploded her forward magazines. Photographed after the Battle of Tassafaronga, which occurred on 30 November 1942.

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USS Quincy (CA-39), underway on 1 May 1940, as seen from a Utility Squadron One aircraft. Note identification markings on her turret tops: longitudinal stripes on the forward turrets and a circle on the after one.

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Quincy anchored at New Caledonia on 3 August 1942.

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Quincy fighting off air attacks at Guadalcanal.

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Quincy caught in Japanese searchlights, moments before sinking off Savo Island with great loss of life, on 9 August 1942

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USS St. Louis (CL-49), off San Pedro, 5 October 1944. Her camouflage is Measure 32, Design 2c.

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This message denotes the first US ship, USS St. Louis (CL49) to clear Pearl Harbor. (National Archives and Records Administration) [Note that this is in answer to question "Is channel clear?" and faint writing at bottom concerning the answer being held until St. Louis had successfully cleared.]

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St. Louis after the Battle of Kolombangara, showing torpedo damage to her bows

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USS Vincennes (CA 44), passing through the Panama Canal on 6 January 1938, while en route to join the U.S. Fleet in the Pacific. Note crewmen on her deck, watching the airplane from which the photograph was taken.